The “Mamba” Mercedes-AMG GT3 turned out to be a difficult animal to tame, which is exactly what drives Jules Gounon to fight for a DTM return. In an exclusive interview with GT REPORT, the endurance veteran reflects on the 2025 season, the 24 hours of Daytona en sets clear goals for 2026.
Gounon, who is now entering his sixth consecutive year as a Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver, began the year with two 24-hour races back to back. He first competed in the Dubai 24 Hours at the Dubai Autodrome, before flying straight on to Daytona for one of the most famous endurance classics.
It felt good to be back in the car, because the P7 in Dubai didn’t really satisfy Gounon. “The day I go racing aiming to finish seventh is probably the day I should stop racing,” Gounon says. “Unfortunately, we had some gearbox issues in the morning. We still managed to finish the race, which is definitely a positive.”
The crew of the #4 Grove Racing by Getspeed worked hard to give the drivers a competitive car. Gounon looked at things realistically: “I think we could maybe have finished fourth or fifth in the end, which would still have been very good for the first time with the Grove family, especially after the podium in Abu Dhabi a month before.”
Gounon ‘lucky’ to miss out on foggy drive in Daytona
Twenty-four-hour races can sometimes simply be unforgiving. When you’re on course to fight for a win or a podium, something can suddenly happen that ruins everything. Unfortunately, Gounon experienced that in Daytona as well. “We were quite sad that we ran into an electronical issue three hours before the end of the race,” Gounon sighs.
“I almost never say this, but I think we could have fought for the win. The car felt really good, and I felt good as well, but we couldn’t make it happen this time.”
One reason Gounon felt so good may partly be down to the solid night’s sleep he got. Another positive from the Daytona race was that Gounon was not in the car during the full-course yellow period that lasted 6.5 hours due to fog. He laughs: “I was lucky, because I was scheduled to finish the race, so they saved me during the night.”
“Unfortunately for Maxi Götz,” Gounon grins, “because he was really in the car for hours in those conditions. I did my last stint just before the full-course yellow period. It was perfect, because I could sleep and there was less noise from the cars [since they were running at reduced speed, ed.].”
Taming the Mamba
Gounon remains positive, however, he does admit that conditions like those in Dubai and Daytona have happened “a bit too often” over the past two years. The same applies to the DTM. His full programme for 2026 is not yet known, but DTM is clearly high on his list.
“I hope I’ll be competing in DTM again. DTM is high, high, high on my list,” he emphasizes. Last year, he raced the “Mamba” car used by the Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER with the iconic snake livery. He finished ninth in the championship with 142 points. He scored podium finishes in the first two race weekends of the season, including second place in race 2 at the Sachsenring, but it wasn’t an easy year.
“I had a difficult first full season in DTM, and that triggered something in me,” Gounon admits. “I worked extremely hard over the winter and trained like never before in my 31-year life. I know I still have about ten good years in me, but if you look at the peak time of a racing driver – it is between 30 and 35. I just want to go all in to win more.”
It’s clear there is unfinished business in DTM. “It turns out a Mamba is quite difficult to tame. Maybe I need another year to work on my flute technique,” Gounon jokes. Still, he enjoyed driving with such an iconic livery, which also fits his own extroverted and open personality.
“I love the Mamba and I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll get to drive that car again. Maybe I’ll even do a special helmet then,” he says, hoping to add ‘Mamba tamer’ to his already impressive CV next year.
Sixth consecutive year with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Over the years, Gounon has claimed many spectacular victories with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport at dozens of circuits. Experiencing both the highs—and some lows—with the German manufacturer means a lot to him.
“What makes me happy is winning,” Gounon says. “Over the past few years, we’ve achieved fantastic success with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. We won Spa, we won in GT World Challenge, IMSA, Petit Le Mans—so many races.”
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport welcomed Gounon with open arms, although he jokes that they may have needed some time to get used to him at first. “I love working with everyone. I’m quite extroverted, and Germans are usually a bit more introverted. I think we complement each other really well.”
That also includes Gounon’s colourful sock collection, as he adds in closing: “When I first joined AMG, they preferred that I didn’t wear my colourful socks, and now they love them! Time has really flown by, and that means I’m absolutely enjoying it. I’m incredibly proud of everything.”
Photos by Michal Pospisil and Sascha Schiwietz
Love what we do? Support GT REPORT with a donation and fuel our next trip to the racetrack.
Even €5 makes a difference!
