Martin Eager to Help Mercedes-AMG Break N24 Dry Spell

Maxime Martin has set his sights on a maiden victory in the Nürburgring 24 for his first appearance with Mercedes-AMG, which would also allow the German manufacturer to break a nine-year winless streak at the event.

The Belgian, who switched from BMW to Mercedes-AMG over the winter, is set for his first N24 start with the brand as part of the lineup for the No. 14 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo alongside Luca Stolz, Maro Engel and Fabian Schiller.

Martin has finished runner-up at the N24 three times across the course of his career, most recently with ROWE Racing and BMW in 2023, and previously also tackled the event with both Aston Martin and Porsche.

Ahead of his first N24 as a Mercedes-AMG factory driver, the 39-year-old has his sights firmly set on securing a maiden overall victory in the Eifel endurance classic, which would add to an already stacked CV in 24-hour races.

“If there is one race this year I want to win, it’s this one,” Martin told Sportscar365.

“It’s the only one I didn’t win. I won Le Mans, I won Spa. For sure if I can win more, it’s better.

“But, 100 percent, Nürburgring is the race I want to win.

“Mercedes for nine years now didn’t win the race. So for sure they are willing to be back up there again. And that’s why I think these extra efforts are made.”

Martin called winning this year’s N24 a “mutual” goal between himself and Mercedes-AMG, which has gone winless at the event since Black Falcon won with the then-debuting Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2016.

Much like Martin, Mercedes-AMG has come close to victory on multiple occasions since then, finishing second in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

“That’s why we have mutual trust and that’s why I came to Mercedes,” Martin said.

“That’s why they took me on board. We have these mutual things we want to achieve.

“For sure we are here 100 percent to try to win the race. There are no secrets for anyone and that’s that’s the goal.

“We will try, we will push. I know the race quite well I’ve been on the podium a few times.

“I’ve been driving a lot with the Mercedes since the beginning of the year so I feel quite okay and prepared to be able to race here.

“You really feel like there is a lot of commitment from the manufacturers but at the end of the day I’ve been with [other] German manufacturers in the past and I know how it works here.

“It’s always extra pressure. The manufacturers want to make it happen.

“So at the end of the day I’m used to this. I’ve been here a lot of times and I know how it works.

“So I’m just focused doing how I can do my best and at the end I feel quite prepared. I know the race quite well so I’m not too worried.”

Since joining Mercedes-AMG, Martin has taken on an extensive program that included the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and FIA World Endurance Championship.

The experience he has gained thus far has helped him to be “quite prepared” for this weekend’s race, also pointing out that the adaptation process was made easier by jumping from one front-engined car to the other,

“I’m racing a lot in the Mercedes in general,” he said.

“It’s not the same tire spec here, but at the end of the day it’s still it’s a Mercedes so I drove quite a lot since the beginning of the year. So for sure I feel like I’m quite prepared to race here.

“A race car is a race car, but also it’s a front engine car. I’ve been driving a lot of front engine cars,

“When I made a step to Porsche one year, it was very different because [that car] is completely different.

“Here it’s easier to adapt in general, so the more races I have, the better i’m getting into the rhythm.”