Mercedes-AMG ‘Not Committed to Timeline’ for New GT3 Car

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO

Mercedes-AMG is “not committed to the timeline” for the launch of its successor to the AMG GT3 according to the brand’s head of customer racing Stefan Wendl.

Wendl, who previously indicated that the new-generation car could debut as early as next year, has backtracked on the timeframe for its introduction, which would replace the current base model that has been used in worldwide GT3 competition since 2016.

The German manufacturer’s GT3 platform, along with the Lexus RC F GT3, currently ranks as the oldest on the GT3 grid, although the Mercedes-AMG received an Evo update in 2020.

“I’m really sad that I cannot tell you so much news about it,” Wendl told Sportscar365. “We’re working hard on it. That’s what we do.

“I’m really optimistic to communicate something in the close future. But I cannot commit to anything more.”

With a 2025 debut understood to have been ruled out, Wendl said the timeline for the new GT3 machine is linked to the launch of a future road car.

It’s believed the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe will serve as the GT3 car’s base.

“We are on track but we face some challenges — this is clear — in adapting the homologation timelines with the race car timelines,” Wendl explained.

“It’s not only depending separately only on the race car. It’s a big picture we have to take.”

Wendl, however, reiterated that a new GT3 car is still in the works, despite paddock sources indicating that the project could currently be on hold.

“We’re just not committed to the timeline yet,” he explained. “This is still our target and so far I’m optimistic. But there’s a reason why I don’t commit to it yet.”

Wendl previously dismissed the idea of introducing a second Evo update to its current GT3 car. He, instead, has pledged the manufacturer’s long-term support to the current version of the car through at least 2028.

Mercedes-AMG, however, has not offered all-new GT3 cars for sale since last year.

“We started communicating with [customers] at the end of 2022 and said that we expect in 2023 to have the last cars sold,” Wendl explained.

“We went through our program and the number is over 280 [GT3 cars] sold.

“We’re really happy but those numbers exceed our expectations and also the expectation we had when we started it, with the Evo in 2019 when we made the product planning.

“We’ve just been in the way to keep it rolling and the service alive and the same level that our customers are used to.

“We [will] try to make full cars again available and we’re working on different kind of options to fulfill the requests of our customers.”

Mercedes-AMG GT4 Homologation Extended Through 2028

Wendl, meanwhile, confirmed that homologation and support for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 has been extended through 2028, although a successor to that car is unclear at this stage.

“It’s a successful program and we would love to do it, but it’s also not so easy,” he said. “We have similar difficulties, also in GT4.

“On one hand, we have to look at the current situation with GT4 on where the class will develop to and in terms of the price range of the cars that are successful there.

“We feel that our base car, the GT, is growing a bit out of [GT4] on the upper hand. The GT4 car is depending on 60-70 percent road car.

“We look into the future to find another car as a base, which has the genes to make a GT4 car possible. Looking from different perspectives on it, it’s not so easy.

“[But] we want to support our GT4 customers even more now in this situation and help them on the technical side to keep this car successful because we believe that this car has everything that’s necessary to be competitive.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John