2025 AMG Experience, Buddh International Circuit special feature: Grip. Slip. Repeat.

The scene has been upped. It’s the same sky, same track, same crew. But this year, the dial went way past eleven. We had faster cars, drift zones, drag races, a crew seasoned from last year’s experience, participants buzzing with palpable excitement, and yes, food that would make even the most disciplined drivers take a pit stop. Crowd favorites such as lead-and-follow laps, drift taxi rides, and autocross continue to be on the menu to keep adrenaline high. The AMG Experience returns to the Buddh International Circuit but unlike last year this isn’t the only event.

The venue

Evo India in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz India, is hosting four more AMG Experience events this year across the country. I’m telling you this right at the start because by the time you’re done reading this story, your hands will be twitching to sign up. And to save you the trouble of hunting for the link later, head to this website and book your slot now! Now, what exactly is the AMG Experience? Think of it as a finely curated buffet of horsepower. A high-performance driving programme where customers and enthusiasts get to sample the best of Affalterbach in its natural habitat. A racetrack.

The lineup

It’s designed to give you an immersive taste of AMG performance, luxury and driving dynamics. And trust me, we had quite the spread this year: the crowd-favorite S 63 E Performance with 1430Nm of torque, the C 63 S E Performance laden with F1 tech, the pocket rocket A 45 S, the stylish new CLE 53, the open-top drama of the SL 55, the all-electric EQS 53, the sharp GLC 43 and the evergreen C 43. Each car promised its own flavour of AMG character – and yes, customers were in for a feast.

Of course, a feast is only as good as the chefs, and we had Chris and Michael to help, who flew in straight from the land of bratwurst, beer, and, most importantly, AMGs – Affalterbach, Germany. The instructor team consisted of evo India members and some guests who didn’t just ensure everything ran smoothly, but also gave proper race taxi and drift taxi rides. All the participants were given a safety briefing at the beginning, split into four groups, and headed out once some lip-smacking breakfast was finished.

Learning the lines

The lead-and-follow laps gave participants a controlled but exhilarating taste of what it’s like to push AMGs close to their limits. Each participant got to drive three laps in every single Mercedes-AMG that was assigned to be driven on track – SL 55, S 63 E Performance, CLE 53, A 45 S, and C 43. The format is simple but hugely effective: an instructor takes the lead car, sets the pace, and participants follow in their AMGs, learning the racing line, braking points, and just how much speed the Buddh International Circuit can actually handle. The pace builds up with every lap, and every time you hit the 1.2km back straight of the BIC, you’re flat on the throttle, grinning like a kid in a candy shop. For many customers, it was the first time they’d ever driven that fast legally, on a world-class circuit no less, and the mix of thrill, control, and sheer speed made it an unforgettable highlight.

Flowing around the cones

If the lead-and-follow laps were about speed and flow, the autocross was all about finesse. A meticulously laid-out course, tighter than a Delhi bylane and twice as tricky, tested drivers’ precision, reflexes and nerves. The weapon of choice? The Mercedes AMG A 45 S Limited Edition, a hot hatch that feels purpose-built for this kind of playground. Compact, razor-sharp and shod with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres that grip like they’ve sworn an oath, the A 45 S showed off exactly why it’s our go-to car for autocross at every AMG Experience. Here, it wasn’t about brute power, but about threading the car through cones, gates and braking zones with the smoothness of a surgeon – all while chasing the fastest time. The kicker was the live leaderboard flashing results in realtime, keeping competition level at maximum. Sure we didn’t have Toto Wolff and his brilliant race team, but we had AMG Track Pace. It’s brought to you by the engineers at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India, in Bangalore, and this smartphone app records real-time driving data as you go around a track. You can revisit over 80 telemetry parameters to see where you can shave off precious milliseconds. And we made good use of this feature. Of course, no autocross session is complete without the inevitable drama. Clip a cone and get a neat little three-second penalty. Miss a gate, take a wrong turn or forget to brake in the box, then get a harsher five-second addition. The penalties were a reminder that in autocross, precision beats brute pace every time.

Hungry for more

And that’s exactly what made it addictive. Lap after lap, drivers came back hungrier to shave off a tenth, determined to climb the leaderboard. For many, it was the perfect showcase of how the A 45 S AMG is also so usable – agility, power and control all fit into a compact package. But there was something else that kept the adrenaline going similarly. The drift sessions where anyone including first timers could drift! Sideways was the only way forward at the drift sessions. With the C 63 S E Performance as their partner in crime, participants discovered just how addictive controlled chaos can be. The format was equal parts thrilling and forgiving – instructors first gave a demonstration lap, showing just how gracefully an AMG can dance when pushed sideways, before handing the keys over. The course itself was specially designed for drifting, made even friendlier by water tankers keeping it slick and slippery – perfect conditions for beginners to get their first taste of opposite lock. Each participant got three attempts, and with every lap, confidence (and angles) grew.

Sending it sideways

Of course, drifting isn’t just about smoke and style; it’s also a competition. Just like the autocross, a live leaderboard kept track of drift scores, grading participants on control, angle and flair. Some slid with balletic elegance, others spun out in dramatic fashion, but every run ended with laughter, applause, and the unmistakable scent of tortured rubber. The beauty of the session was that it let everyone experience a side of AMG ownership that’s rarely explored – not just the raw speed, but the playful, rebellious side of performance. And for many, pulling off that first proper drift is probably a story to dine out on for weeks to come. Later in the day, participants even got the chance to ride as passengers, along with Chris or Michael behind the ’wheel, and sending the C 63 S E Performance sideways with complete precision. That was as thrilling as it was educational, giving participants a masterclass in holding longer drifts. When the smoke cleared from the drift arena, the brake-and avoid challenge took over. In the GLC 43 AMG, participants went flat out before slamming the brakes and swerving around cones that mimicked sudden obstacles. Simple in theory, but it demanded instant reactions. It proved how agility is important, especially in India where jaywalkers, or a rogue cow in the middle of the road is a common occurrence.

The finish line

Before the day came to an end, we had one last trick up our sleeves. Drag races. It was simple: pick a chit, get your AMG and line up against a rival for a quarter-mile showdown. The day was full of surprises, and all participants seemed to have a blast. What truly set the tone this year was the sheer atmosphere. The paddock had an energy that was infectious, like a motorsport festival. First-timers came in with nervous excitement, veterans showed up with more confidence than Verstappen in a qualifying lap, and everyone left with stories that will probably be retold at drinking parties for months. Cars, after all, are more than just machines; they’re memory-makers. And that’s exactly what the AMG Experience delivered.