The Mercedes-AMG ONE hypercar has absolutely demolished the Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap record for road-legal production cars by setting a lap time of 6:35.183 around the iconic 12.92-mile track. It’s 3.65 seconds faster than the previous lap record that was set 14 months ago by a Manthey Racing-tuned Porsche 911 GT2 RS. According to Mercedes, the weather was sunny but the track was still damp and partly dirty in some areas, making it not so ideal for setting a record lap time. Furthermore, the German manufacturer also faced a massive time constraint. They just had less than an hour to set the fastest lap time. Yet, thanks to Maro Engel’s driving skills and the AMG ONE’s F1-derived tech and hybrid powertrain, Mercedes managed to snatch back the title from Porsche.
“That was really an unforgettable experience,” said DTM driver and Mercedes-AMG ambassador Maro Engel. “I didn’t expect that we would be able to set such a lap time with these track conditions. In some crucial areas of the track, it hadn’t dried completely yet and was therefore tricky. That was a special challenge.”
Additionally, Engel also claimed that the AMG ONE is “certainly more at home on a Grand Prix circuit than on the Nordschleife” as the Green Hell’s track length is not ideally suited for the hypercar’s DRS function and the energy recovery system that works while braking.
The Mercedes-AMG ONE is powered by a comparatively small 1.6-liter turbo V6 engine derived from F1 and is assisted by 4 electric motors. To set the record-breaking lap time, the hypercar was driven on the Race Plus mode that unleashes the powertrain’s maximum 1,049hp output, lowers the adaptive suspension, and adapts the active aerodynamic components for maximum attack.
Mercedes said the AMG ONE hypercar attained a maximum speed of 210mph on the Döttinger Höhe straight. It will be interesting to see how long this lap record stands and which production car will end up breaking it. Would it be an EV? Well, let’s see.
