Jeff Seabrook

Nürburgring. At the first race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), the BMW M Motorsport teams kicked off the 2025 Nordschleife season. In preparation for the 24-hour race in June, the #98 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, with drivers Augusto Farfus (BRA), Jesse Krohn (FIN), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), finished fifth after four hours of racing.

Munich. BMW M Motorsport and ROWE Racing will compete on 21^st/22^nd June 2025 in the Green Hell to continue their joint success story at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER). After the team secured BMW's 20^th and most recent overall victory in the Eifel region in 2020, the 21^st triumph is now the major goal. The new BMW M4 GT3 EVO and a strong quartet of BMW M works drivers are taking on this mission.

Munich. Decorated with five driver and two team titles, BMW M Motorsport enters the DTM season 2025. Schubert Motorsport is aiming to defend their team title with two new BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars, as well as seeking their second driver's title since 2022. Behind the wheels of the two cars are three-time DTM champion René Rast and two-time title holder Marco Wittmann (both GER). The two BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars will sport the colours of BMW M Motorsport Premium Partners RoboMarkets and Schaeffler.

Sebring. The anniversary weekend in Sebring (USA), celebrating the 50^th birthday of BMW of North America, brought both highlights and setbacks for BMW M Motorsport. The 73^rd edition of the famous Twelve Hours of Sebring marked the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). As at the season opener in Daytona (USA), Dries Vanthoor (BEL) in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of the BMW M Team RLL secured the pole position. In the race itself, the #24 fell far back due to an unavoidable collision. The #25 sister car finished fifth. The new BMW M4 GT3 EVO celebrated a double podium in the GTD PRO class, with the two Paul Miller Racing cars taking second and third places. Additionally, there was a first victory for the new BMW M4 GT4 EVO in Sebring.

Sebring. The 73rd edition of the Twelve Hours of Sebring (USA) this coming Saturday, 15th March, is all about a significant anniversary. BMW North America celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and the endurance classic in Florida plays a special role in this history. The story of BMW North America began in 1975 with the victory of the BMW 3.0 CSL at Sebring. Accordingly, the two BMW M Hybrid V8s of BMW M Team RLL will compete from this season’s second race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) with a special anniversary livery.

Munich. Calder, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Holzer, Hockney, Koons, Rauschenberg, Mahlangu, Eliasson, Baldessari, Cao Fei, Mehretu. For the past 50 years, the BMW Art Car series has provided artists fascinated by automobiles with a perfect playground for art and design, technology and innovation, motorsport and engineering. The collection of 20 BMW Art Cars embodies the essence of global cultural engagement with over one hundred initiatives across contemporary art, music and film, as well as design. The "rolling sculptures" – from Alexander Calder’s first-ever Art Car to Julie Mehretu’s latest – offer a cross-section of art history over the past five decades: minimalism, pop art, magical realism, abstraction, conceptual art and digital art are all represented.

“I love that car. It has turned out better than the artwork.”
Andy Warhol, BMW Art Car #4, 1979

The artists are selected by international juries of museum directors. In close collaboration with the BMW Group’s engineering and design teams, they freely develop their concepts and inspire everyone involved. To mark the 50th anniversary, the BMW Art Car World Tour features an exhibition programme spanning all five continents and including numerous accompanying events.

“The car should not only race in a physical way but also in the heart.”
Cao Fei, BMW Art Car #18, 2016

Munich. Since the 2015 season, Shell and BMW M Motorsport have been partners and have celebrated many successes together. Now, the collaboration is entering a new decade with the extension and simultaneous expansion of their joint contract. Shell is the Premium Technology, Innovation, and, in the future, also the Energy Partner of BMW M Motorsport. The partnership is visible worldwide in the biggest racing series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). The collaboration extends far beyond just the racing events.

Ten days ago, Shell and BMW M Motorsport celebrated the renewal of their partnership with the spectacular design of the #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8 at the FIA WEC season opener in Qatar. The LMDh car will compete in the entire World Championship season, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), adorned in Shell's colours. BMW M works driver Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) remains the face of Shell in the cockpit of the BMW M Motorsport race cars. He will be a regular driver for the complete seasons in FIA WEC and IWSC. In both racing series, Shell prominently appears as a partner of BMW M Motorsport, highlighting the global dimension of the collaboration. Together with van der Linde, Shell celebrated its greatest sporting success in 2022 when the young South African became the DTM champion driving the Shell BMW M4 GT3.

Starting from the 2025 season, Shell will simultaneously be the Premium Technology, Innovation, and now also the Energy Partner of BMW M Motorsport. Accordingly, BMW M Motorsport exclusively uses and promotes Shell products such as Shell Helix and Shell EV Plus. As part of their technology and development partnership, Shell and BMW M Motorsport are working on joint future projects. These include more sustainable lubricants, e-fluids for electric vehicles, and innovative fuel and energy concepts for motorsport projects. As Shell is also the official partner of the BMW M Trackdays, BMW M customers also enjoy the Shell premium products.

Franciscus van Meel (CEO of BMW M GmbH): “Without strong partners like Shell, engagements by BMW M in series production and BMW M Motorsport in racing are unthinkable. The fact that we can look back on ten years of collaboration is extraordinary – and I am very pleased that we are now reaching the next level together. In addition to close collaboration within our current racing programmes, the development of new future technologies in both the racing and series production sectors is crucial. As mobility and thus the entire automotive industry are changing rapidly, it requires partners who share our pursuit of innovation and perfection. This is absolutely the case with Shell.“

Aysun Akik (Vice President of New Business Development and Global Key Accounts, Shell Lubricants): “This announcement marks an exciting milestone in our unwavering partnership with BMW M Motorsport. Over the last decade, we have been pushing the boundaries together celebrating successes in major race series all over the world. As the number one lubricants supplier, Shell will continue to deliver quality solutions and together with BMW M Motorsport, help bring the pleasure of driving to customers globally.”

Munich. BMW M Motorsport will be represented with a large contingent of teams, drivers, and cars in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS season. ROWE Racing and Team WRT will deploy BMW M works drivers. Additionally, customer teams Ceccato Racing, Century Motorsport, and Paradine Competition will take on the challenge in one of the world's most competitive GT racing series .

In the Endurance Cup, an impressive number of eight BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars will compete in the entire season consisting of five races. ROWE Racing, in car #98, will feature the BMW M works driver trio of Augusto Farfus (BRA), Jesse Krohn (FIN), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI). Also, three works drivers will pilot the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO for Team WRT: Ugo de Wilde (BEL), Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), and Charles Weerts (BEL). Jens Klingmann (GER), as the seventh works driver, will participate in the full season, sharing the cockpit of the AlManar Racing by Team WRT #777 BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA) and Ben Tuck (GBR). WRT’s car #30 will be driven by Gustav Bergström (SWE), Gilles Stadsbader (BEL), and Etienne Cheli (FRA). Additional entries in the Endurance Cup include teams Ceccato Racing and Century Motorsport with one car each, and Paradine Competition with two BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars. In one of these cars, Darren Leung (GBR) will receive support from BMW M works drivers, mainly Dan Harper (GBR), who, however, will not be able to compete in all races due to scheduling conflicts.

Doha. At the season-opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in Qatar, the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO delivered strong performances, making a significant impact in the competition against the world's top manufacturers. The two BMW M Team WRT hypercars finished in fourth and seventh places respectively, earning valuable points for the World Championship standings. In the LMGT3 class, the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO achieved a podium finish, coming in third .

At the start of its second season in the FIA WEC, the BMW M Hybrid V8 demonstrated strong pace. In qualifying, Dries Vanthoor (BEL) secured a spot on the front row with a second-place finish in 1:38.495 minutes – a first for the hypercar, missing pole position by just 0.136 seconds. Robin Frijns (NED) also made it into the top-ten Hyperpole with the sister car.

During the race, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 initially fell back, but the team, including Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen (DEN), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI), fought their way back to the top positions with strong lap times over the ten-hour race. In the end, only the three Ferraris, which battled among themselves for the win, were faster. The #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Frijns, René Rast (GER), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), was at one point in third place but finished seventh due to varying strategies.

In the LMGT3 class, a BMW M Motorsport crew celebrated a podium finish. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin (AUS) drove the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to third place, mounting a remarkable comeback from 14th on the grid after a setback in qualifying. The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), faced challenges and finished eleventh in the LMGT3 class.

Comments after the race:

Doha. On the weekend before the season opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in Qatar, four BMW M Motorsport cars completed numerous test laps during the Prologue at the Lusail Circuit. The BMW M Hybrid V8 made a strong impression and set the fastest time. The two hypercars and the two BMW M4 GT3 EVOs were presented for the first time in their new designs .

Bathurst. What a race, what a victory! Team WRT achieved an impressive 1-2 result with the BMW M4 GT3 at the Bathurst 12 Hour (AUS), the season opener of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). Brothers Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde (both RSA) triumphed alongside Augusto Farfus (BRA) in car #32. Following them, Valentino Rossi (ITA), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Charles Weerts (BEL) in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 secured second place. It was the first victory for BMW M Motorsport in the GT3 era at the Mount Panorama Circuit. Team WRT remains undefeated in the 2025 season after successes at the 24h Dubai and the 6h Abu Dhabi (both UAE). On the sidelines of the race at Bathurst, the new BMW M3 CS Touring (fuel consumption combined: 10.5 l/100 km [26.9 mpg imp]; CO₂ emissions combined: 238 g/km in the WLTP cycle, CO₂ class: G)* celebrated its world premiere.

Daytona. For more than 23 hours, BMW M Team RLL and Paul Miller Racing had their sights set on victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), but a dramatic final stage dashed all hopes of a well-deserved reward for a great performance by BMW M Motorsport at the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). Dries Vanthoor (BEL), who had secured pole position in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, collided with a competitor while fighting for second place and fell to fourth place due to the subsequent repairs. A similar fate befell Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, who was also contending for the win but ultimately had to settle for fourth position in the GTD-PRO class after an incident.