Just a few days after Maxime Martin parted ways with BMW “at his own request”, the Belgian is moving to Mercedes-AMG: What speaks for a sudden BMW exit
Maxime Martin will be a Mercedes-AMG works driver from the 2025 season! Just a few days after BMW announced that the Belgian “has left the Munich works squad at his own request” and “wishes to pursue new challenges”, his future has been secured.
Curious: In the preliminary entry list for the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which was only published at the end of November, Martin is still named as a BMW works driver in the BMW M4 GT3 32. This suggests a sudden and unexpected departure of the 38-year-old Belgian from BMW!
Due to Iron-Lynx’s surprising announcement that they will be competing in the World Endurance Championship with Mercedes-AMG instead of Lamborghini in the future, there is nothing to prevent the Belgian from remaining on the international GT3 stage.
Maxime Martin makes AMG debut at Daytona
Nothing is known yet about further appearances by the new Mercedes-AMG works driver, for example in the GT-World-Challenge-Europe (GTWCE) or in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The only official information so far is that Martin will make his AMG debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona (January 25th-26th, 2025).
The Belgian will compete there with Anthony Bartone, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz for the German GetSpeed team. “I know Daytona very well, the rest is new,” the 38-year-old recalls. “But this is my new role now and I’m definitely very much looking forward to my first Mercedes-AMG race at Daytona together with GetSpeed.”
“The team is extremely experienced, we have a perfect car and we have a great line-up. So I’m counting the days until my personal roll-out,” says Martin. GetSpeed team principal Adam Osieka speaks of a ‘perfect addition’ to the team.
“It’s great that he is now part of the AMG family,” says Osieka. ‘As the winner of the 2016 Spa 24 Hours and class winner at Le Mans in 2020, he is predestined for our race in the United States. I am convinced that he will be a great asset to the team.’
The Belgian has proven his qualities in GT3 racing cars with both BMW and Aston Martin: in recent years, he has celebrated two race wins in the GT World Challenge Europe together with MotoGP star Valentino Rossi. Last year, he finished second in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Arjun Maini: Farewell to Mercedes-AMG
At the Mercedes-AMG annual winners’ ceremony in Stuttgart on Saturday evening, further works drivers were also announced. With Maro Engel, Maximilian Götz, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller, Jules Gounon, Ralf Aron, Philip Ellis and Mikael Grenier, some familiar faces were among those announced. Newly added is 25-year-old Australian Jayden Ojeda.
Lucas Auer, who won the GT World Challenge Europe together with Engel this year, has not yet signed his contract and has therefore not been officially announced as a Mercedes-AMG works driver. As things stand, however, it can be assumed that the Austrian will stay.
Further drivers could be added in the coming weeks. For Arjun Maini, however, the journey with Mercedes-AMG is over, at least for the time being. The Indian has decided to take on a new challenge,
