Maro Engel (born 27 August 1985) is a German professional racing driver based in Monaco. He is a Mercedes-AMG factory driver since 2008 & brand ambassador since 2017.
He is a FIA GT World Cup Champion (2015), Nürburgring 24 hour winner (2016), two time Daytona 24h winner in GTD & GTD Pro (2021, 2023), three time Macau Grand Prix GT Cup winner (2014, 2015, 2022), Petit Le Mans 10h winner in GTD PRO (2023), Suzuka 10h winner (2018), GT World Challenge Endurance Cup Champion (2018 - formerly Blancpain Endurance Series) and DTM race winner.
He is currently racing in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in DTM, GT World Challenge Europe, IMSA, Intercontinental GT Challenge, FIA GT World Cup. Over his career he has raced in a variety of different series: in the three eras of the DTM, GT World Challenge, IMSA, Intercontinental GT Challenge, FIA Formula E, V8 Supercars, F3000, and WRC.
Outside of his racing activities Engel holds the Nurburgring Nordschleife Lap record for road-legal cars setting a lap time of 6 minutes 35,183 on October 28, 2022 with the Mercedes-AMG ONE beating the previous record by over 8 seconds.
Racing career
Early career
Born in Munich, Engel competed in karting in Germany and France between 1996 and 1999 and finished 4th in the 2000 European Junior Karting Championship. Moving onto Formula BMW, finishing 3rd in the 2001 Junior Cup, before finishing 8th in Formula BMW ADAC the following year.
In 2008 Engel was signed as a factory driver by AMG Mercedes to drive a one-year-old car run by Mücke Motorsport in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for the 2008 season. He remained with the team 2011 season.[1] In four years racing in the category, he achieved a best result of sixth place at first round held at the Hockenheimring in 2009. He went on to finish the 2009 season in twelfth place over all, scoring eight points.
Engel made his V8 Supercar debut in 2013, driving a Mercedes E63 AMG entered by Erebus Motorsport (formerly known as Stone Brothers Racing).[3] Engel replaced Shane van Gisbergen as the driver of the No. 9 SP Tools entry. Engel had five race retirements. His best finish was a ninth place in a hastily prepared under developed car at the third race of the Darwin round.
Macau Grand Prix GT Cup (2013)
Engel captured in his Mercedes-AMG DTM C-Class
Next to his commitments in V8 Supercar for Erebus Motorsport he competed in the 2013 Macau GT Cup with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 scoring pole position and a lap record in qualifying. Narrowly missing out on the victory due to sustaining a puncture on the front left while leading, 2 laps before the end.
GT Racing (2014)
In 2014 Engel resumed his duties as a member of the AMG Customer Sports team racing exclusively with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Making his debut in the Bathurst 12 Hour racing for Erebus Motorsport together with Bernd Schneider (racing driver) and Nico Bastian Engel scored pole position with a lap record of 2min03.8586 and winning the inaugural Allan Simonsen Pole Position Trophy. The German trio dominated the race for 9 hours before an issue forced them to pit for repairs dropping them 7 laps down. He participated in his first 24 Hours Nürburgring racing for German team ROWE Racing finishing the "Hardest race in the World" in 3rd place together with his teammates Nico Bastian Christian Hohenadel and Michael Zehe. Engel also competed in various VLN races for ROWE Racing winning the 9th round of the VLN championship. He also raced in the German ADAC GT Masters series for ROWE Racing.
In 2015 the Macau GT Cup was recognised by the FIA as the FIA GT World Cup lifting its status to the World Cup for GT3 cars. Engel returned with his Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy team in the successful Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Engel won the 12 lap qualification race from third on the grid after Stefan Mücke was penalised for a Safety car procedure infringement. Starting from pole position in the 18 lap race around Macau's famous Guia circuit Engel won the race and was crowned the inaugural FIA GT World Cup Champion. Through Engel's victory combined with the 4th-place finish of his teammate Renger van der ZandeMercedes-Benz won the inaugural FIA GT Manufacturers World Cup.
GT Racing (2016)
Racing for Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon in the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, Engel took overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 hours together with his teammates Bernd Schneider (racing driver)Adam Christodoulou and Manuel Metzger. Engel made the decisive pass to win the race on the last lap. His winning margin was the tightest in the history of the race with merely 5,6s separating the first two cars. Engel was also the first winner of the SCG Pole position trophy after scoring pole position for the Nürburgring 24 hour race in drying track conditions with a lap of 8 minutes 14.563 in the #9 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with which Engel also raced performing a double start duty and finishing the race in 4th position with this second car.
Following two victories in 2014 and 2015 in Macau, Engel finished 3rd at the 2016 FIA GT World Cup
Formula E
In August 2016, Engel joined Venturi Grand Prix to make his debut in the 2016-17 season. In his second season Engel finished 12th in the driver standings, scoring a best result of 4th at the Paris ePrix.
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2017)
In 2017, Engel rejoined the DTM with Mercedes-Benz taking his maiden DTM win at the Moscow raceway
GT Racing (2018)
In 2018, racing for Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon Engel went on to win the prestigious Blancpain Endurance Series title with his co-drivers, Luca Stolz and Yelmer Buurmann. Racing for Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM he went on to win the Suzuka 10h Intercontinental GT Challenge round sharing the car with Raffaele Marciello and Tristan Vautier.
Racing for Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon Engel finished second at the Nurburgring 24h with his team mates Adam Christodoulou, Manuel Metzger and Dirk Mueller.
At the FIA GT World Cup in Macau, Engel finished second with his Mercedes-AMG GT3 behind the winning BMW M6 GT3 of Augusto Farfus.
GT Racing (2019)
In 2019, Engel finished runner up in the Blancpain GT Series, Overall and Sprint championships as well as 3rd in the Endurance championship racing for Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon with his team mates Luca Stolz (sprint & endurance) and Yelmer Buurmann (endurance). He also scored Pole Position for the Nurburgring and Spa 24h races, a feat which had not been done by any current GT driver scoring pole position for the two biggest GT only Sportscar races in the world in the same year. Together with Yelmer Buurmann and Luca Stolz he finished the Spa 24h race in third place.
GT Racing (2020)
In 2020, Engel finished 3rd in the ADAC GT Masters championship racing for Mercedes-AMG team Toksport and sharing the car with his team mate Luca Stolz, they were in contention for the title until the final race but had to contend with 3rd place in the final rankings. Engel also scored his second consecutive pole position for the Nurburgring 24h race scoring his third SCG Pole Position award making him the driver with the most pole awards since its inception.
GT Racing (2021)
In 2021, Engel won the Daytona 24h race in the GTD class racing for Winward Racing together with Philipp Ellis, Indy Dontje and team owner Russell Ward. It marked the first class win for Mercedes-AMG at the legendary Daytona 24h race.
Racing for Mercedes-AMG team Toksport (sprint) and Mercedes-AMG team HRT (endurance) Engel finished runner up in the GT World Challenge sprint championship and third in the GT World Challenge Overall championship together with his team mate Luca Stolz.
In the ADAC GT Masters championship in a repeat scenario from the previous year he and team mate Luca Stolz racing for Mercedes-AMG team Toksport were in contention until the final race but had to contend with third in the final rankings after a controversial penalty in the final race while leading and on course to take the championship.
GT Racing (2022)
In 2022, Engel won his third Macau Gran Prix GT Cup racing for Mercedes-AMG team Craft Bamboo. He also finished 2nd at the Bathurst 12h with team mates Daniel Juncadella and Kevin Tse. At the Nurburgring 24h Engel finished 3rd racing for Mercedes-AMG team Getspeed together with his team mates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon. At the Sebring 12h Engel finished 3rd in GTD PRO racing with Jules Gounon and Cooper McNeil for Weathertech Racing. After a five year break Engel returned to DTM in under its new GT3 regulations scoring 1 Pole Position and two podiums.
GT Racing (2023)
In 2023, Engel took his second class win in the Daytona 24h winning the GTD Pro class for Weathertech Racing together with team mates Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and team owner Cooper McNeil. Later that year he also took the class win at the Petit Le Mans 10h and 3rd at the Sebring 12h in GTD PRO for Weathertech Racing together with Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
At the Bathurst 12h Engel scored Pole Position setting a new qualifying track record of 2min00,8819 on the way to taking his second Allan Simonsen Pole award driving for Mercedes-AMG team GruppeM. In the race the following day together with team mates Raffaele Marciello and Mikael Grenier he finished in 3rd place after the crew was forced to change a organizer supplied modem at the last pitstop which stopped working, dropping them from a comfortable lead to second place. In the final stint Engel collided with his Daytona winning team mate Jules Gounon while fighting to regain the lead. Following the contact Engel received a drive through penalty and dropped to third place. In the remaining 30 minutes Engel closed down the gap to the leaders and the finish was the closest finish in Bathurst 12h history with the top three cars covered by 1,4177s.
In DTM Engel took 1 pole position and 1 win in what was a difficult year for the Mercedes-AMG cars as a whole.
In GT World Challenge Endurance Engel finished 3rd in the Endurance championship racing for Mercedes-AMG team Getspeed (season except Spa 24h)and Mercedes-AMG team GruppeM (Spa 24h).
At the FIA GT WOrld Cup in Macau racing for Mercedes-AMG team Craft Bamboo Engel qualified in 3rd place and finished the qualifying race in 2nd place behind brand mate Raffaele Marciello. In the main race Engel suffered a shifting issue while running in 2nd place which forced him to retire from the race.
Maro Engel is today a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of 80 famous elite athletes including Novak Djokovic and Sergey Bubka among others, committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.[4]
Related Research Articles
Uwe Alzen is a German racing driver specialised in touring car racing and sports car racing.
Bernd Robert Schneider is a German racing driver. He is a five-time Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion, and a Mercedes Brand Ambassador.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a 24-hour annual touring car and GT endurance racing event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife and the GP-Strecke circuits of the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Held since 1970, the over 25.3 km (15.7 mi) lap length allows more than 200 cars and over 700 drivers to participate.
Thomas Michael Onslow-Cole is a former British racing driver. He won the International GT Open in Pro-Am category in 2018 and in 2019 and the 24H Series in 2015.
Mirko Bortolotti is an Italian racing driver from Trento. He has won the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 2008, the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2011, the Eurocup Megane Trophy in 2013 and the Blancpain GT Series Endurance and Overall Championship in 2017. He competed as a factory driver for Lamborghini between 2016 and 2019, before moving to Audi for 2020 and rejoining Lamborghini in 2021. He competed in the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with GRT Grasser Racing Team, a factory-backed Lamborghini team based in Austria.
Tristan Vautier is a French professional racing driver who is currently competing in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship for the Vanwall Racing Team.
Daniel Juncadella Pérez-Sala is a Spanish racing driver who currently competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. He is son of Xavier Juncadella and nephew of José María Juncadella, Alex Soler-Roig and Luis Pérez-Sala, also racecar drivers.
Maxime Martin is a Belgian professional racing driver and son of four-time Spa 24 Hours winner Jean-Michel Martin. He currently is a BMW factory driver mainly competing in the GT World Challenge Europe driving for Team WRT. Martin had previously been a BMW factory driver between 2013 and 2017, racing full-time in the American Le Mans Series for BMW Team RLL in 2013, as well as acting as BMW's DTM test and reserve driver. In late 2013 at BMW Motorsport's yearly review, Martin was confirmed as a full-time BMW DTM driver for the 2014 season. In 2018 Martin joined Aston Martin Racing for which he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship between 2018 and 2020.
Alex Fontana is a Greek-Swiss racing driver currently racing as a professional driver in the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe for Car Collection Motorsport. He is a freelance driver with an open contract able to race for different teams and different manufacturers at the same time. When he is not racing, he works as a coach and driving instructor in Europe, America, and China, while commentating the Formula 1 Grands Prix for Swiss television with RSI.
Raffaele "Lello" Marciello is a Swiss-born Italian professional racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for BMW M Team WRT. A former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, he was the 2013 European Formula Three Champion, a reserve and test driver for the Sauber Formula One team in 2015, and spent three seasons competing in the GP2 Series. He switched to GT racing in 2017 and became a works Mercedes-AMG driver ahead of the 2018 campaign, where he stayed until leaving in 2023 and subsequently signing with BMW. In 2022, Marciello earned his first major endurance race victory by winning the Spa 24 Hours.
Axcil Ramar Jefferies is a professional racing driver and senior race instructor at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. He currently holds the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record in the GT3-class with a time of 7:50.370 which he set in a Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3.
Group GT3, known technically as Cup Grand Touring Cars and commonly referred to as simply GT3, is a set of regulations maintained by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for grand tourer racing cars designed for use in various auto racing series throughout the world. The GT3 category was initially created in 2005 by the SRO Group as a third rung in the ladder of grand touring motorsport, below the Group GT1 and Group GT2 categories which were utilized in the SRO's FIA GT Championship, and launched its own series in 2006 called the FIA GT3 European Championship. Since then, Group GT3 has expanded to become the de facto category for many national and international grand touring series, although some series modify the ruleset from the FIA standard. By 2013, nearly 20 automobile manufacturers have built or been represented with GT3 machines.
ROWE Racing is the motor racing team of the German lubricant manufacturer Rowe Mineralölwerk. Since 2011, ROWE Racing has competed in series such as the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and the 24 Hours Nürburgring. In 2020 it won both the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the Spa 24 Hours. In 2023 it won the Spa 24 Hours for the third time.
The 2017 FIA GT World Cup was a non-championship Grand Touring (GT) sports car race held on the streets of the Macau autonomous territory on 19 November 2017. It was the event's third edition, and the tenth Macau GT3-specification cars race. The Automobile General Association Macau-China appointed the motorsports organiser Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) to form a grid for the race. The race itself consisted of an 11-lap qualifying race that set the starting order for the 18-lap main race.
HTP Winward Motorsport also known as HTP Motorsport and Winward Racing is a German-American-based auto racing team. The team mainly competes in GT3 based series such as the GT World Challenge Europe. The team was founded after HTP Investment BV took over Heico Motorsport.
Maximilian Buhk is a retired German racing driver.
Jules Jean-Louis Gounon is an Andorran-based French professional racing driver. He is best known for his victories in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2017 and 2022, and the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
The 2019 FIA GT World Cup was a Grand Touring (GT) sports car race held on the Guia Circuit in Macau on 17 November. It was the fifth edition of the FIA GT World Cup and the twelfth GT3 car race to be held in Macau. The event promoter, the Automobile General Association Macau-China, appointed the motorsports organiser Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) to form a grid. The edition itself was made up of two races: a 12-lap qualifying race and an 18-lap main event.
Luca Stolz is a German racing driver who currently competes in the ADAC GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe.
Russell Ward is an American racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for HTP Winward Motorsport. Ward also serves as Winward Racing's team principal.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
German
FIA Platinum 
