Tales from the paddock: Christoph Sagemüller: "One of the Most Successful Years in the History of our Customer Racing Programme"

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

As the 2022 Formula One World Championship enters the home straight, #christophsagemuller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, gives his verdict on the GT season
• This is what happened: Results and facts
• News from the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams
• Three questions for Christoph Sagemüller
• Social media news: What’s new online?

This is what happened: Results and facts
• #f1: Lewis Hamilton finishes second in Mexico City GP; George Russell in P4
• FIA Motorsport Games: GT podium lockout for Mercedes-AMG at Circuit Paul Ricard

Podium in Mexico City: The #f1 teams and drivers proceeded directly from Austin, Texas, to Mexico City for the second part of a double-header and the third-to-last round of the 2022 campaign. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS #f1 Team had brought the final update package of the season to the first instalment of the back-to-back fixtures in Austin, and it again proved its worth in Mexico City. In qualifying, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton battled for pole position, eventually securing second and third on the grid. In Sunday’s race, the Mercedes-AMG duo were at all times in contention for the Top Three without even having to rely on the mistakes of others. Ultimately, it was to be the runner-up spot for Lewis and the team’s second podium within a week. It was also Lewis’s eighth of the season and the 15th for Mercedes-AMG. George contributed to a respectable all-round result with a P4 finish. The team scored a total of 31 championship points in Mexico, reducing the deficit on second-placed Ferrari to 40 points ahead of the final two races of the season in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. From Mexico, #f1 moves on to the São Paulo Grand Prix, which will be held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos on the weekend of 11 - 13 November.

GT podium lockout for Mercedes-AMG at the FIA Motorsport Games: Over the weekend, no fewer than 462 competitors representing 72 different countries were contesting the FIA Motorsport Games at Circuit Paul Ricard.

Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars also competed in two of the 16 classifications, GT and GT Sprint. AKKODIS ASP were there in a support capacity to Team Brazil and Team France while SPS #automotive performance were assisting Team Germany and Team Switzerland. Team UK (RAM #racing and SKY - Tempesta Racing) and Team Spain (Antonelli Motorsport and Motorsport Team Spain ES) also fielded one Mercedes-AMG GT3 each.

In the two one-hour qualifying races, Team Germany represented by Valentin Pierburg and Fabian Schiller (both GER) and Team France in the person of Eric Debard and Simon Gachet (both FRA) each celebrated a one-two victory. The main race in the GT category took place on Saturday. The number 81 GT3 of Team France crossed the finish line in first position, with Team Germany in second. Team UK’s Ian Loggie and Sam Neary (both GBR) crossed the line in third place to make it an all-Mercedes-AMG podium.

In the one-hour GT Sprint event on Sunday, only one driver from each nation occupied the cockpit. Luca Stolz (GER) in the number 20 Team Germany GT3 finished the race in fourth position. There were also Top Ten finishes for Bruno Baptista (BRA) of Team Brazil in sixth, Tristan Vautier (FRA) of Team France in P8, Daniel Juncadella (ESP) of Team Spain in ninth and Yannick Mettler (SUI) of Team Switzerland in tenth.

In the final combined ranking of all classes, Team France took second place, with Team Germany in fourth.

Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing celebrates end of season in Barcelona: This Saturday, Barcelona will be hosting the Night of the Stars end-of-term gala. Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing will be joined by teams, drivers and sponsors to celebrate a successful year for the non-works outfits. The winners of this year’s Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing Championship will also be honoured at the event.

Three questions for #christophsagemuller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Raffaele Marciello secured the ADAC GT Masters drivers’ title early with a fifth-place finish on Saturday at the Hockenheimring, thereby laying down yet another significant marker for Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing this year. Next weekend, one of the most successful seasons since the inception of the Customer #racing programme will come to a fitting conclusion at Night of the Stars in Barcelona. #christophsagemuller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, reviews the year’s achievements in the run-up to the event and explains why the Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing Championship is such an important cornerstone of the motorsport division’s success.

Raffaele Marciello’s title win in the ADAC GT Masters rounds off a highly successful motorsport season for Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing. How would you sum up the campaign?
Christoph Sagemüller: We were all delighted about Raffaele winning the ADAC GT Masters title. The series is one of the most competitive GT formats in the world, attracting an enormously high standard of entrant. For Raffaele Marciello, following on from his titles in the GT World Challenge Europe and his outstanding victories in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, it was the crowning glory of an incredible season. We have another important race ahead of us in December, namely the Gulf 12 Hours, after which we will be in a position to deliver a more complete
verdict. But it is already clear that 2022 will go down as one of the most successful years in the history of our Customer #racing programme. Because of the ongoing feedback we receive from our teams and the consequent synergies, we continue to develop as a cohesive unit. The results also show that our Mercedes-AMG GT3 is still 100% competitive. All in all, we can be very satisfied with the year so far, and the many successes underpin the coherent strategy behind our global operations.

How will the end of the season be celebrated this year?
Christoph Sagemüller: After two years in which we were unable to hold an end-of-season party – or had to settle for a virtual one – we are looking forward all the more to the get-together in person of the global AMG motorsport family, which is about to take place in Barcelona. However, the festivities will not be the only reason we are meeting there, because we will also be organising AMG Track Week for the benefit of our teams. This will be an Page 3 opportunity for them to participate in exclusive racetrack tests. Some teams also use this occasion to let young upand- coming drivers get some test kilometres under their belt. Past experience has shown that this is a very valuable platform for networking, not only with us but also for the teams and drivers among themselves. We will additionally be using this high-quality setting to deliver our first AMG Track Series models, and AMG ONE customers will get to try out our unique hypercar on the track.

The winners of the Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing Championship will also be crowned at the end-of-season ceremony in Barcelona. What significance does this internal competition have for the Customer #racing programme?
Christoph Sagemüller: The internal brand competition is always one of the highlights. During the season, the teams and drivers score points towards valuable prizes which are then awarded at the Night of The Stars gala. The rules of the Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing Championship have been designed to give smaller teams and amateur drivers in particular excellent chances of winning something. This is our way of acknowledging the impressive commitment of these teams and drivers and at the same time offering our partners a platform. After all, the successes of our programme would not be possible without our loyal customers and supporters. This mutual appreciation is unique; it is the foundation of the fruitful cooperation within the Mercedes-AMG family and symbolises the spirit of the brand. Winning championships such as the ADAC GT Masters requires everyone to pull together. It’s a principle that our teams have learnt and internalised, as they have demonstrated in impressive fashion this season.