Daytona Tests - Day 3: Mercedes dominates the GT day

The final day of pre-season testing at Daytona was reserved for GT cars, and in this game it was Mercedes who closed the three days of driving with the best time.

Published 17/11/2025 à 10:21

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Daytona Testing – Day 3: Mercedes dominates the GT day

Like the first day, Friday, which was reserved for prototypes only, the final day of testing IMSA Sunday's race at Daytona International Speedway was reserved for competitors in the GTD and GTD Pro categories, in preparation for the 24 Hours of Daytona, which will take place next January.

Classic Mercedes for saleThe AMG GT3s were particularly impressive, with the Silver Arrow cars setting the fastest time in both practice sessions held on Sunday at the legendary Daytona International Speedway road course. The #48 WINWARD Racing entry posted the day's best time of 1:47.152, a lap time set by Belgian driver Maxime Martin. He was just a few thousandths of a second quicker than the afternoon's fastest time, set by Mikael Grenier in the 75 Racing Mercedes-AMG.

The Canadian notably shares this machine with Will Power. The two-time champion ofIndyCar will make his debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and he will clearly have a great opportunity to stand out in the GTD category. A category where he will meet one of his former rivals in car, Romain GrosjeanThe Frenchman made his debut this weekend at the wheel of the No. 16 Ford Mustang GT3. This car is still under development, as the upgraded version of the Mustang will make its competitive debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The two days of GT testing also provided an opportunity for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to acclimate to a new brand. After representing BMW for many years, Bobby Rahal's team now fields the McLaren No. 59 in GTD Pro. A third fastest time in the morning and the ninth fastest time in the afternoon allowed the three drivers, Dean MacDonald, Jüri Vips and Max Esterson, to continue their learning of a new chassis.

IMSA cars will return to Daytona from January 16 to 18 for the traditional "Roar before the Rolex 24", three additional days of testing before the 24 Hours of Daytona, on January 24 and 15.