Iron Lynx came close to claiming its first FIA WEC points as a Mercedes-AMG customer team in front of a packed house of almost 100.000 fans at Spa-Francorchamps. The third round of 2025 went underway in outstanding weather, and did not disappoint the crowd with an action-packed show.
The #60 car was started by Stephen Grove, who kept himself in the lead lap as he regained confidence following a heavy practice crash which forced the team to a thorough rebuild work before qualifying. His stints were positive, and both his son, Brenton Grove, and Matteo Cairoli made further progress. Unfortunately, the Italian picked up a hefty 30-second stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact. Still making the most of the day’s third safety car, the Australian and the Italian put up a solid recovery.
Driving the #61 car for the first time, Martin Berry delivered a powerful early stint, underlining a remarkable FIA WEC debut at one of the world’s toughest race tracks. Lin Hodenus then went for an all-out attack, gaining multiple positions and placing himself in contention for the top 5 in the middle part of the race. A couple of penalties for a VSC infringement and a pass outside the track limits then led to the loss of valuable time. Once in the car for the final stint, Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Maxime Martin pushed as hard as he coud, although he had a tough time keeping the pace of the leading cars.
The long road to Le Mans 2025 has now officially begun for Iron Lynx. Determined to keep progressing ahead of the year’s most challenging and famous race, the team will already be back on track for testing at Motorland Aragon in a few days.
Andrea Piccini – CEO & Team Principal
“We had a solid weekend here at Spa-Francorchamps, and while we could not secure points, we are starting to see the effort we have made since the start of the year come together. This is a major satisfaction. We maximised our operation this weekend, and I really want to thank the team for the incredible work after the crash and throughout the entire event. Now into the biggest and toughest race of the year.”
Maxime Martin – Driver car #61
“We were definitely a bit more in the game and in the pack. We are still missing a bit compared to the cars in front, but we managed to be more competitive. We need to make sure to have some cleaner races, but that’s part of the learning process. We move forward and hope for a better result in Le Mans. It was great to have so many fans on track. The Belgian fans are always very passionate, and the weather was amazing. It’s always a nice event.”
Lin Hodenius – Driver car #61
“I love Spa-Francorchamps, what an amazing track. I think some part of the race was quite good for me when I drove. That’s positive. We made some super nice moves. Worked my way up to P5, then we got overtaken by people on fresher tires, and it was tough to manage from there. We got a drive-through that was a bit unfortunate, because of a full-course yellow infringement. Something to take to Le Mans, and hopefully we will have the car in a better window for the race.”
Brenton Grove – Driver car #60
“I was at an eventful weekend here, but our FIA WEC debut definitely didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite get the result we came for, but it was a massive learning for Le Mans, and it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks to make sure we’re ready for the big one.”