Mercedes reinforces its status as the lord of the ‘Ring | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

The previous ‘Ring record had already been set by Mercedes two years earlier, also using an AMG One, but in late September the record was smashed by more than five seconds. This is astonishing pace, edging very close to the record competition time of 6.25.91 set by Stefan Bellof in 1983 in a Group C Porsche 956!

Made famous to the world en masse by Nürburgring local Sebrina Schmitt hauling a Ford Transit van around the demanding 12.944-mile (20,832 km) long circuit on Top Gear, the ‘Ring became the doyen of notable production performance cars such as the RenaultSport Megane, Nissan Skyline GT-R and various special Porsche 911s, with a constant procession of track day enthusiasts regularly taking to the punishing Nordschleife in their own Lotus Elises, Caterham Sevens, BMW M3s, sundry Porsches plus a wide variety of hot hatches, plus the well-known Ring Taxis (often including tourist coaches).

I well remember my first attempt to try and tame the ‘Ring in a Fiat Uno Turbo in 1991, taking a slight detour en route to working at that year’s IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. The Uno proved to be lively on the straights, but the endless Nordshleife’s many bends soon revealed the Fiat’s inadequacies around the twisty bits (with 154 turns).

After that initial intoxicating experience, my Nürburgring visits became more frequent when I used to break up the long drive from Dover-Calais to Trollhattan in Sweden, where I had an office, in a series of ever more powerful turbocharged Saab 900s, 9000s, 9-5s and 9-3s, including the Viggen which had way too much power being feed though the front wheels and a compromised GM-source platform to successfully cope with the ever-changing demands of the unforgiving ‘Ring.

DTM driver Maro Engel obviously didn’t have the Saab’s torque steer and inadequate chassis issues last month when he set the amazing record sub-6:30 time. It transpired that Engel and the Mercedes-AMG One had a lot more in reserve than it was originally able to extract the first time around. The new record stands at 6:29.090, making it the first ever production car to dip below the 6:30 lap time mark.

Although Engel’s previous 6:35 lap-time was impressive, at the time AMG blamed less-than-perfect weather conditions for hindering the car’s ultimate pace during this first attempt, as some sections of the track were damp. This time around, however, Engel had a totally dry track with air temperatures of around 14°C, conditions which Mercedes-Benz said were ideal for perfect grip.

Strategic use of the AMG One’s ‘Energy Flow Control’ system helped shave time off, too. Mercedes found that in simulator tests, it was an overall benefit to ‘lift and coast’ on occasion, in order to recuperate power that could then be deployed on other parts of the track more effectively. Engel also found useful time in smarter deployment of the driver-activated Drag Reduction System. Mercedes says the AMG One was setup with the “maximum camber values within the delivery tolerance,” and fitted with the grippy factory Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R MO tyres.

As the 2022 Mercedes-Benz lap time was already ahead of its closet ‘Ring rival – the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a MR Manthey kit – by more than eight-seconds, it begs the question as to why Mercedes felt the need to extend its lead over other production vehicles?

Michael Schiebe, the head of AMG, has an answer: "We've held the record for road vehicles for almost two years now, but at AMG, we always want to push the boundaries of what is possible to the maximum or even push them a little further. That's why we have once again demonstrated what is possible with the unique AMG One.” 

Put simply, this new record lap time will make it tougher for other competitors to beat Mercedes-Benz. Porsche is constantly developing up a faster 911, the Aston Martin Valkyrie looks quite intimidating, plus EVs such as the Rimac Nevera R and upcoming electric Porsche hypercar could prove threats to the AMG record, too. Now that AMG has moved the goalposts a little further down the road, however, there’s a chance the Formula 1-inspired One hypercar could hold onto the record for quite some time to come.

To date, only 13 production cars (including the AMG One, first time around in 2022) have beaten the seven minutes time around the ‘Ring, with the Ferrari 488 Pista just missing out on this magic time by an unbelievably close three-thousands of a second! As yet, no none-European car has managed to break the barrier either, despite the best efforts of various Toyota Supra, Lexus LFA and Nissan Fairlady Z and GT-R models, with the all-American Dodge Viper ACR getting tantalisingly close with an impressive time of 7.01:30.

As 130 years of dominance of the internal combustion engine (ICE) is soon to draw to a close, it seems only fitting that Mercedes-Benz, as a true ICE pioneer, can claim the production car lap time record for the Nürburgring for the foreseeable future…