MERCEDES-BENZ

MB-AMG One sets record for a production car at the Nürburgring

Mercedes-Benz has announced that its Mercedes-AMG One hybrid hypercar has set the lap record for a production car at the Nürburgring with a lap time of 6:35.183.

The lap was completed on October 28, according to Mercedes-Benz. The Germans chose Nürburgring 24-hour winner and DTM competitor Maro Engel as the driver in charge of chasing the record, which took place on a cold autumn European day where parts of the track were not completely dry. Still, the AMG One was able to beat the previous record holder, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, by more than eight seconds, a considerable difference.

“It was truly an unforgettable experience,” said Maro Engel in the statement. “I didn't expect that we could set a lap time like this with these track conditions. Some crucial areas of the track had not yet dried completely and therefore it was complicated. It was a special challenge. We tried to find the optimal implementation strategy during pre-tests. Just like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on their race weekends, I also had to use the electric power of the hybrid powertrain to the best of my ability. That's not easy, especially with this length of track. In addition, the DRS function had to be used optimally.”

The AMG One is as close to a modern Formula 1 car as you can get to go on the road. Underneath the bodywork is a powertrain derived from the one used in the F1 cars of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team. That means it's an 11,000rpm turbocharged V6 engine mounted right in the middle and paired with an electric motor, which sends power to the rear wheels via a 7-speed sequential transmission and limited-slip differential. At the front there are also two 120 kW electric motors, one for each wheel. And not forgetting all the active aerodynamic parts along the body.

It is worth mentioning that the AMG One lap was recorded based on the new Nürburgring style to measure lap times. The traditional track design, used before 2021, had cars entering and leaving the track in different places, omitting the short straight that comes after turn 13. Under the Nürburgring's new 'official' method of recording lap times, which uses a single exit/finish line and includes that short straight, the AMG One clocked a lap time of 6:35. If it had to follow the old time recording method, the German hypercar would have set a lap time of 6:30.705.

Autonews