The path less trodden is that Martin is taking when he joins Mercedes-AMG

Following the announcement of his second departure from BMW last week, the move of honored sports automotive driver Maxime Martin to Mercedes-AMG was announced over the weekend.

“I am extremely happy that, together with the Mercedes AMG Motorsport family, I am starting a completely new chapter in my racing history,” the Belgian wrote on social media.

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“Joining the team as a #MercedesAMG Performance driver from 2025 will probably be exciting and I'm sure we will achieve great things together. The journey ahead will probably be stuffed with challenges, but I’m ready and impatient to face them.

“I can't wait to get to work contributing to the team's success and joining forces to achieve our goals while building great moments on the track.”

Martin's likely first appearance in his latest environment will probably be in January on the 24 Hours of Daytona, after the Getspeed customer team announced he will probably be a part of the GTD Pro line-up alongside Anthony Bartone, Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller.

#2 M-AMG GetSpeed ​​​​Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO: Jules Gounon, Fabian Schiller, Luca Stolz

Photo: Eric Le Galliot

For the winner of the 2016 24 Hours of Spa and sophistication winner of the 2020 GTE Pro Le Mans 24 Hours, while at Aston Martin, joining Mercedes-AMG as a part of a program that features racing for its latest partner Iron Lynx squad within the World Championship The World Endurance Championships is an intriguing move that marks a noticeable trend.

The last BMW driver to hitch Mercedes-AMG was Lucas Auer in 2021. The Austrian returned to the brand after only one season, when the Class 1 era in DTM broke down and it became clear that there have been no seats for him on the table, through which he could proceed driving within the GT3 era.

Perhaps more importantly, although Mercedes-AMG will return to Le Mans for the primary time since 1999 next 12 months with an entry within the Iron Lynx LMGT3 class, there may be currently no Hypercar program.

BMW is amongst a growing variety of brands doing just that, and Martin was a part of the Bavarian brand's endurance lineup within the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship, competing at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans along with his RLL-run GTP team.

Although Jules Gounon stays under contract with Mercedes-AMG, his announcement of joining Alpine WEC's full-season lineup for next 12 months is an element of a trend of drivers searching for a chance to win outright in the largest endurance races.

This also goes some strategy to explaining why Raffaele Marciello left the Mercedes team at the top of 2023 and joined BMW.

Under the leadership of Andreas Roos, BMW has turn into a hotbed of talent in recent times, with Kevin Magnussen its latest high-profile signing after leaving the Haas Formula 1 team.

From the crowded stage at BMW, where he has spent the last two years within the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint alongside Valentino Rossi, Martin's experience suggests he’ll play a key role within the plans of Stefan Wendel, head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing.

#25 BMW RLL Team BMW M Hybrid V8: Maxime Martin

Photo: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

The 38-year-old, whose first stint at BMW resulted in three DTM wins between 2014 and 2017, is certain to be an asset because the manufacturer develops a successor to its current GT3, which began life in 2016, through the newly formed Affalterbach Racing Company GmbH .

In addition to Gounon, Martin can be among the many minority of Mercedes drivers with Hypercar experience, which can count in his favor if the LMGT3 entry turns into something more in the approaching years.

Mercedes said the provisional list of 10 drivers “will be gradually expanded.” Maro Engel, Maxi Gotz, Ralf Aron, Philip Ellis and Mikael Grenier have been formally recruited, together with Gounon, Stolz and Schiller, while young Australian rider Jayden Ojeda has signed as a junior driver.

Motorsport.com's sister title, Motorsport-Total, understands that Auer has not yet signed his contract and has due to this fact not been officially announced as a Mercedes-AMG works driver for 2025. However, as things stand, it’s assumed that the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe The Sprint Cup Champion will remain alongside Engel.

Martin's list of Iron Lynx teammates within the WEC has yet to be announced.

“I have always had very high regard for Maxime,” said team principal Andrea Piccini.

“We have a friendly relationship and in addition had the chance to race together in 2013, ending second within the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. He is a extremely strong driver, extremely fast and particularly in a position to deal with difficult conditions.

“I've seen him do exceptional things over time with none mistakes, which makes him a top contender, especially in endurance racing. Combine that along with his experience and teamwork, and I truthfully think he's among the finest alternatives for any team, and I'm proud to welcome him to the Iron Lynx for the 2025 season.

Meanwhile, one other BMW departure announced in recent days is Bruno Spengler, who won the DTM title for the brand in 2012.

The 41-year-old Canadian, who joined BMW from Mercedes, was announced last month as head of the brand new junior program.

“It was not an easy decision for me to leave the BMW M Motorsport family, but I am at a point in my career where a new challenge with a long-term perspective was important to me,” he said. “That's why I decided to take this step.”