Which 17 drivers Mercedes-AMG will be relying on in the 2022 season, who is new and how they classify the drivers into the Performance Driver, Junior and Expert categories
After BMW and Audi, Mercedes-AMG has now also announced its driver squad for 2022 in a press release. And the brand with the star is also banking on stability: Canadian Mikael Grenier is the only new addition to the 17-driver line-up for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries, while Vincent Abril is no longer part of the squad.
The current DTM drivers Maximilian Götz, Lucas Auer, Philip Ellis, Daniel Juncadella, Arjun Maini and Maximilian Buhk are still part of the squad, but drivers such as Maro Engel and Luca Stolz, who will compete in the DTM in 2022 according to information from , are also listed.
The switch of DTM champion Götz from HRT to the Winward team is not yet official, as details in which racing series and with which teams the drivers will be deployed are to be announced at a later date.
Why Auer and Ellis were junior drivers last year
“We want to be successful in each of the major racing series in 2022, which is also reflected in our driver line-up,” explains Mercedes-AMG Head of Sport Christoph Sagemüller, who is pleased about the retention of numerous drivers as well as new additions such as Grenier.
In contrast to previous years, Mercedes-AMG has divided the drivers into three categories in the press release: performance driver, expert and junior. The classification as a Junior driver is not about physical age, but rather the focus is on drivers who are more likely to be newcomers to the AMG squad and will be given the opportunity to prove themselves.
This also explains why 27-year-old Auer, who returned to the brand with the star in 2021 after a break following his Mercedes DTM years from 2015 to 2018, was still classified as a junior driver last year but has now been promoted to performance driver.
Four junior drivers, one new addition
The same goes for his former Winward DTM teammate Philip Ellis, who will no longer compete in the DTM in 2022 but in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. He also still had junior status last year, but was promoted to performance driver thanks to his Daytona class win and DTM victory at the Lausitzring, among other things.
This year’s junior drivers are India’s Maini, who will join HRT in the DTM and is contesting his second Mercedes-AMG season, as well as Fabian Schiller, Patrick Assenheimer and newcomer Grenier.
The 29-year-old Canadian last competed for Winward in the 24 Hours of Daytona classic and impressed in GT World Challenge America in 2021. He also won the Pro-Am class of the Intercontinental GT Challenge with the SunEnergy1 team.
What’s behind the Expert category
In 2022, the Expert category includes drivers like Nordschleife specialist Manuel Metzger, who dedicate themselves to individual tasks. He and Adam Christodoulou focus exclusively on the Nordschleife programme and compete in the Nürburgring Endurance Series NLS (formerly VLN) as well as the legendary 24-hour race.
The third Expert driver, Daniel Morad, supports the further development of the internal sim racing commitment as an e-sport specialist. In total, the Mercedes-AMG drivers, who continue to include top-class drivers such as Raffaele Marciello and Jules Gounon, will compete in the DTM, ADAC GT Masters and GT World Challenge racing series as well as in international endurance races.
Mercedes-AMG driver squad for the 2022 season:
Performance drivers: Lucas Auer (AUT), Maximilian Buhk (GER), Philip Ellis (SUI), Maro Engel (GER), Maximilian Götz (GER), Jules Gounon (FRA), Thomas Jäger (GER), Daniel Juncadella (ESP), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Luca Stolz (GER); Junior drivers: Patrick Assenheimer (GER), Mikael Grenier (CAN), Arjun Maini (IND), Fabian Schiller (GER); Expert drivers: Adam Christodoulu (GBR), Manuel Metzger (GER), Daniel Morad (CAN)
