Four Mercedes-AMG Factory Drivers to Tackle Macau

Mercedes-AMG has confirmed that factory drivers Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel and Daniel Juncadella will spearhead its representation for the FIA GT World Cup’s return to Macau next month.

Engel and Juncadella will each pilot a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo from Craft-Bamboo Racing, while Gounon is confirmed at Climax Racing and Marciello is with German team Landgraf Motorsport.

Mercedes-AMG won the most recent FIA GT World Cup with Marciello in 2019 before the event lost its international participants during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the German manufacturer’s drivers traveled to Macau last year, including Engel who won the race, and Mercedes-AMG is continuing its involvement as the competition’s FIA status returns.

“We never lost our relationship to Macau, after winning the last World Cup in 2019 with Raffaele,” Mercedes-AMG’s head of Customer Racing Stefan Wendl told Sportscar365.

“We’ve been present there every year, even with local teams. We have quite a good streak of winning there.

“Based on this, I’m really excited myself to go back to this iconic Asian race event. I went there for the first time in 2003 for a touring car race.

“I’m really happy about our driver lineups that we will send to this race.”

Mercedes-AMG’s contingent of four confirmed works-driven cars will be complemented by local entries from TORO Racing, which is fielding multiple Macau runner-up Marchy Lee, and Climax which is yet to announce its second driver.

The half-a-dozen Mercedes-AMGs are set to form part of a bumper grid for the FIA GT World Cup’s return that is attracting Pro entries from several GT3 manufacturers.

Earl Bamber Motorsport recently announced that team owner and Cadillac Hypercar driver Earl Bamber will compete, while four-time winner Edoardo Mortara is racing for Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute.

Sportscar365 understands that Team WRT and reigning CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa winner ROWE Racing could also join the grid with a single BMW M4 GT3 each.

Although Wendl doesn’t view Mercedes-AMG as the favorite considering other brands will arrive with newer cars, he suggested that its recent experience through the event’s COVID-affected years could pay dividends.

“Even if we won this race in the past, I don’t see us in a favorite position because there are new cars coming,” said Wendl.

“All the other cars haven’t been there before [in the FIA GT World Cup]. It makes us quite predictable in the BoP judgment and others can develop themselves in the right direction.

“But the fact which we try to play out, is that we have quite good experience there.

“From the team side, we collected data in the last events and we have our drivers – with Maro and Raffaele at least – who raced there last year.

“We think also the fact that we have four cars there which could make us stronger, that our drivers on this level are able to gain the small things after the Free Practice sessions, which you need to find.

“It will be a tough one – a good competition.”

Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Christoph Sagemueller added: “The FIA GT World Cup on the streets of Macau is one of the most iconic races in the world.

“The world’s most renowned GT3 manufacturers, teams and drivers meet here. A good result for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport is therefore of great importance.

“Our top-class line-up makes me very confident that we will play an important role in the fight for victory again this year.”