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Mercedes said today that racing driver and Maro Engel at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife set a record time of 6:35.183 minutes for rounding the 20.832-kilometer track for road-legal production vehicles, as well as in the new super sports car category – aka hypercar class. Based on the track variant known as the sport auto Super Test, the lap time is 6:30.705 minutes. The record-breaking drives took place on 28 October 2022. (See the drive video here.)
Mercedes-AMG is the first car manufacturer to have run the Nürburgring Nordschleife with such a hypercar and set official records there just by finishing. It does allow for hyper marketing though, so to speak. The Mercedes-AMG ONE is therefore not only the absolute fastest road-legal vehicle on the Nordschleife, but also first – for the moment in AutoInformed’s understanding until, say, McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari show up – in the Nürburgring “super sports car” category.
“That was really an unforgettable experience,” said Maro Engel after completing the record lap in a Mercedes-AMG ONE. “In some crucial areas of the track, it hadn’t dried completely yet and was therefore tricky. That was a special challenge. We tried to find the optimal deployment strategy during the pre-tests. Like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on their race weekends, I also had to deploy the electrical energy of the hybrid drive in the best possible way. That’s not easy, especially with this length of track. In addition, the DRS function had to be used optimally. But that’s also a real Formula 1 feeling.”
Mercedes said that initially it didn’t look like a new record. The weather was sunny with a light wind, but the track was – typical of the Nürburgring in autumn – still damp and partly dirty in some areas. In some sections, such as the fast “Kesselchen” section, the ideal line had not yet completely dried. “All in all, they were not ideal conditions – especially for a vehicle in this extreme performance class. By the time the track was passable for a first fast lap, the remaining time had whittled down to less than an hour. With air and asphalt temperatures of just under 20 degrees Celsius, this was only enough for a maximum of four fast laps,” said Mercedes.
Mercedes-AMG brought two ONEs to the Ring, which meant that the limited time could be used effectively. According to the specifications of Nürburgring, both vehicles were inspected and documented by TÜV Rheinland to ensure that they were in series production. A notary confirmed the proper condition of the vehicles and the correct execution of the record runs.
Record Car Used Production Specs
Technically, the record-breaking vehicle had everything that the Mercedes-AMG ONE offers as standard as the hypercar brings Formula 1™ hybrid-drive technology from the racetrack to the road for the first time. With one combustion engine, a 1.6-litre V6, and four electric motors, the so-called E Performance hybrid delivers a total of 782 kW (1063 hp), with a top-speed limited at 352 km/h. The other motorsport technology includes the carbon monocoque and carbon body to the engine/transmission unit as a stressed member, and active aerodynamics and a push-rod chassis. With its complex technology, the two-seater Mercedes-AMG ONE offers more than rules-constrained Formula 1™ racing cars. It has the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all‑wheel drive with a hybrid-driven rear axle and electrically driven front axle with torque vectoring.
For the record drive, the maximum camber values within the delivery tolerance were selected. Maro Engel chose the “Race Plus” driving program. This means active, maximum possible aerodynamics, firm chassis tuning, vehicle lowering by 37 mm at the front axle and 30 mm at the rear axle and, duh, full power from all motors. The Drag Reduction System (DRS) is activated by the driver by pressing a button on the steering wheel. This retracts the front louvres on the wings as well as the upper aero element of the two-stage rear wing. If the system detects deceleration or a certain degree of lateral acceleration, the aero elements extend again over-ruling the driver.
Hyper Marketing as Mercedes-AMG ONE Sets Nordschleife Record
Click for more information.
Mercedes said today that racing driver and Maro Engel at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife set a record time of 6:35.183 minutes for rounding the 20.832-kilometer track for road-legal production vehicles, as well as in the new super sports car category – aka hypercar class. Based on the track variant known as the sport auto Super Test, the lap time is 6:30.705 minutes. The record-breaking drives took place on 28 October 2022. (See the drive video here.)
Mercedes-AMG is the first car manufacturer to have run the Nürburgring Nordschleife with such a hypercar and set official records there just by finishing. It does allow for hyper marketing though, so to speak. The Mercedes-AMG ONE is therefore not only the absolute fastest road-legal vehicle on the Nordschleife, but also first – for the moment in AutoInformed’s understanding until, say, McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari show up – in the Nürburgring “super sports car” category.
“That was really an unforgettable experience,” said Maro Engel after completing the record lap in a Mercedes-AMG ONE. “In some crucial areas of the track, it hadn’t dried completely yet and was therefore tricky. That was a special challenge. We tried to find the optimal deployment strategy during the pre-tests. Like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on their race weekends, I also had to deploy the electrical energy of the hybrid drive in the best possible way. That’s not easy, especially with this length of track. In addition, the DRS function had to be used optimally. But that’s also a real Formula 1 feeling.”
Mercedes said that initially it didn’t look like a new record. The weather was sunny with a light wind, but the track was – typical of the Nürburgring in autumn – still damp and partly dirty in some areas. In some sections, such as the fast “Kesselchen” section, the ideal line had not yet completely dried. “All in all, they were not ideal conditions – especially for a vehicle in this extreme performance class. By the time the track was passable for a first fast lap, the remaining time had whittled down to less than an hour. With air and asphalt temperatures of just under 20 degrees Celsius, this was only enough for a maximum of four fast laps,” said Mercedes.
Mercedes-AMG brought two ONEs to the Ring, which meant that the limited time could be used effectively. According to the specifications of Nürburgring, both vehicles were inspected and documented by TÜV Rheinland to ensure that they were in series production. A notary confirmed the proper condition of the vehicles and the correct execution of the record runs.
Record Car Used Production Specs
Technically, the record-breaking vehicle had everything that the Mercedes-AMG ONE offers as standard as the hypercar brings Formula 1™ hybrid-drive technology from the racetrack to the road for the first time. With one combustion engine, a 1.6-litre V6, and four electric motors, the so-called E Performance hybrid delivers a total of 782 kW (1063 hp), with a top-speed limited at 352 km/h. The other motorsport technology includes the carbon monocoque and carbon body to the engine/transmission unit as a stressed member, and active aerodynamics and a push-rod chassis. With its complex technology, the two-seater Mercedes-AMG ONE offers more than rules-constrained Formula 1™ racing cars. It has the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all‑wheel drive with a hybrid-driven rear axle and electrically driven front axle with torque vectoring.
For the record drive, the maximum camber values within the delivery tolerance were selected. Maro Engel chose the “Race Plus” driving program. This means active, maximum possible aerodynamics, firm chassis tuning, vehicle lowering by 37 mm at the front axle and 30 mm at the rear axle and, duh, full power from all motors. The Drag Reduction System (DRS) is activated by the driver by pressing a button on the steering wheel. This retracts the front louvres on the wings as well as the upper aero element of the two-stage rear wing. If the system detects deceleration or a certain degree of lateral acceleration, the aero elements extend again over-ruling the driver.