100 days after triumph: Interview with N24 winners
Exuberant celebrations at the pit wall, tears of joy and deep relief etched on the faces of those involved: when Maro Engel (GER) crossed the finish line at the Nürburgring in the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the afternoon of 17 May 2026 after 156 laps, there was no holding back the excitement. The third overall victory at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring was secured – clinched by the Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL. Ten years after the last triumph for the Performance and Sports Car Brand from Affalterbach, Maro Engel, Maxime Martin (BEL), Fabian Schiller, Luca Stolz (both GER), and the operational team of Winward Racing have capped their impressive recovery with a place in the history books. Today, exactly 100 days later, the four Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers look back on the emotional race weekend and reflect on the decisive moments of the 24-hour race.
"A few tears of joy have been shed." Maro Engel
100 days have passed since the victory. If you could capture just one scene from that race to preserve forever – which one would it be?
Maro Engel: “Crossing the finish line. That’s the best moment – when you know you’ve done it and you see all those happy faces. Especially among those who’ve won the race for the first time, a few tears of joy have been shed. That shows what this victory really means. For everyone. Including RAVENOL, who brought this project to fruition for the first time in collaboration with Winward Racing and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.”
Maxime Martin: “It was a very special feeling when the car crossed the finish line. I can still picture the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 pulling up and us jumping onto the roof to celebrate. But what really sticks in my memory is the early stage of the race. When, in the first five or six hours, we managed to work our way up through the field from 25th place – from right at the back of the starting group.”
Fabian Schiller: “The moment when our two Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars were driving side by side on the Nordschleife on the final lap and we had a comfortable lead over the rest of the field.”
Luca Stolz: “When Maro crossed the finish line after 24 hours and 156 laps. When I close my eyes, the first thing I see is Fabi standing on the roof of the engineering station in the pit lane, cheering.”
📷 © Luc Warnotte at 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL #80
"I’d already been feeling confident the week before." Luca Stolz
When was the moment you realised: ‘We can win the 24-hour race today’?
Maro Engel: “When it started to rain and we made the right tyre choices. That allowed us to pull away from the field early on. And that’s when I realised that victory was within reach.”
Maxime Martin: “When we were locked in a duel for the lead with our sister car, the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, which had a strong line-up, while we had already built up a comfortable lead over the rest of the field by that point.”
Fabian Schiller: “Actually, quite early on in the race. For long stretches, it felt surprisingly under control – quite unlike many other 24-hour races, where you give it your all from start to finish, but things don’t necessarily go your way.”
Luca Stolz: “To be honest, I’d already been feeling confident the week before, because we’d worked really well together as a team and prepared meticulously for the race. The people responsible at Mercedes-AMG Motorsport began preparing for 2026 straight after the 2025 race, making key strategic decisions – for example, regarding aerodynamics, set-up and tyre strategy, as well as the lighting concept. As a driver, you could really feel the effects of all that hard work in the week leading up to the race.”
📷 © Luc Warnotte at 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL #80
"The mechanics didn’t just rebuild the car; they got it into top condition for the race." Fabian Schiller
In your view, who was the ‘unsung hero’ of the victory?
Maro Engel: “The first person who springs to mind is Phuc. After my accident on Friday during qualifying, he worked with absolute precision at the welding station. Throughout the weekend our thoughts were also constantly with a team member who, sadly, was unable to be here due to a serious illness. We secured this victory for him, too.”
Maxime Martin: “It wasn’t down to any one person. It was the whole team’s effort that made the difference – from the drivers to the mechanics and engineers, along with many more people working behind the scenes. And not just this weekend, but throughout the entire process of preparation.”
Fabian Schiller: “Our mechanics. After Friday’s rather heavy crash, they didn’t just rebuild the car; they got it into top condition for the race on Saturday. That was an outstanding team effort.”
Luca Stolz: “The whole crew! They provided us with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the run-up to the race – and especially overnight from Friday to Saturday – which enabled us to win the race.”
📷 © Luc Warnotte at 24 Hours of Nürburgring. #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3
"That has shown me once again that you must never give up on your dreams." Maxime Martin
What will you take away from this success in the long term – as a racing driver and as a person?
Maro Engel: “That if you constantly work on and optimise everything within your control, success will eventually come. And that the race – and GT Sport in general – has attracted a lot of attention worldwide. Max Verstappen played a major part in this with his participation. Even Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris congratulated me on my victory. The congratulations from my friend and role model Bernd Schneider, with whom I secured the brand’s last victory in the 24-hour race back in 2016, were particularly emotional.”
Maxime Martin: “After 15 attempts, I’ve finally managed to win this race with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. That has shown me once again that you must never give up on your dreams.”
Fabian Schiller: “You achieve your goals if you work hard consistently and always give it your all – even if it sometimes takes longer than you’d like.”
Luca Stolz: “That you must never give up. That was already one of my core beliefs, but this victory has reaffirmed it once again. It was my tenth race in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the 24h Nürburgring. After three podium finishes, I’ve finally managed to secure the overall victory. This shows that it’s worth keeping going.”
📷 © Luc Warnotte at 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL #80
"Many people only see the performance on the track, but we had already laid the foundations in the months leading up to the race." Luca Stolz
What was crucial to this victory that the public might not have seen?
Maro Engel: “The meticulous work of everyone involved. Initially in Affalterbach and later in collaboration with Winward Racing, we worked to realign the car’s basic set-up with previous approaches. So we started with a revised set-up philosophy, placed greater emphasis on downforce and positioned the Mercedes-AMG GT3 slightly differently within the aerodynamic window. We made hardly any compromises from the first test to the chequered flag. And, of course, there was also the hard work put in by the team to get the car back on track after my crash in qualifying. The team put in many hours to get the car to the start line at all and give us a chance of winning.”
Maxime Martin: “The right strategic decisions made by our team – and by that I really mean everyone involved. We simply got the very best out of it compared to our rivals, both during the weekend itself and in the run-up to it, which was also more intensive than in 2025.”
Fabian Schiller: “The hard work in the run-up to the race and the foundations we have laid over the past few years together with the various teams and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. All of this has made it possible for us to line up on the grid this year with such a competitive package.”
Luca Stolz: “The long and intensive preparation carried out in collaboration with Winward Racing and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport was key to this victory. In the end, many people only see the performance on the track, but we had already laid the foundations in the months leading up to the race.” Source: Mercedes-AMG
Related Info
📷©️ Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Stolz-Martin in #77 Mercedes-AMG for Suzuka 1000km
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026. One Ford Mustang GT3 survived finishing 8th
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026. Porsche 911 GT3 R wins SP9 PRO AM and AM categories
📷© Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring 2026. Engel, Martin, Mercedes-AMG increase IGTC lead
