Maximilian Buhk (born 9 December 1992 in Reinbek) is a German retired racing driver. He experienced considerable success racing for Mercedes-AMG in the GT3 scene, winning the 2012 FIA GT3 European Championship and 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series, before taking the 2015 Blancpain GT Sprint Series title as part of the Bentley factory lineup.
In 2016, Buhk returned to the Mercedes-AMG factory stable to win the overall Blancpain GT Series alongside Dominik Baumann that year. Following six further years with the German brand, Buhk retired from racing in 2022 after two seasons in the DTM.
Career
Karting Buhk began karting in 2004 and raced only in his native Germany for the majority of his career, working his way up from the junior ranks to progress through to the KF2 category by 2009, when he finished on fifth position in ADAC Kart Masters.
ADAC Formel Masters 2010 saw Buhk's debut in the ADAC Formel Masters championship with KUG Motorsport. He finished twelfth in the championship with 12 point-scoring finishes. He remained in series for 2011 but switched to ma-con after five rounds with KUG Motorsport. The switch open road to the podium step at Lausitz and Assen and progress to ninth in the championship.
Sports car racing For 2012, Buhk moved into the Sports car racing, competing in both 2012 ADAC GT Masters and 2012 FIA GT3 European Championship. Andreas Simonsen was Buhk's teammate in the ADAC series, where they finished eleventh. With Dominik Baumann they dominated the main category of the FIA GT3 European Championship, winning half of the races and the drivers' title on their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
In 2013, the FIA GT3 European Championship was merged with FIA GT1 World Championship to form FIA GT Series, where Buhk continued to race. He was paired with Alon Day in HTP Motorsport, they were victorious at Zandvoort, but were only seventh in the championship. He remained in the ADAC GT Masters where he participated with Maximilian Götz. They won race at Nürburgring and ended third in the standings. He also expanded his programme to compete in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Despite missing two opening rounds, he won 2013 24 Hours of Spa as well as the season finale at Nürburgring, which brought him title in the series.
In 2014, Buhk kept his three-championship programme with HTP. FIA GT Series was renamed into the Blancpain Sprint Series. He again shared Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with Götz and was set to claim another championship title after three wins but was forced to miss Slovakia Ring round and the remainder of the 2014 ADAC GT Masters season due to his suspension for non-compliance with safety car regulations in the same circuit in the ADAC GT Masters event. But later his racing license was restored, allowing him return to racing. In the Blancpain Endurance Series, he had just one podium an ended the season fourth. Also for the first time Sprint and Endurance series formed Blancpain GT Series in which Buhk finished as runner-up to Laurens Vanthoor.
For 2015, Buhk concentrated on Blancpain GT Series programme, where he was again runner-up, this time to Robin Frijns. His team HTP decided to use Bentley Continental GT3 car and make Vincent Abril as his teammate in the Sprint Series. They won three races and clinched the championship title. But in the Endurance Series, Buhk raced with M-Sport team with Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet as his teammates. They finished the season tenth finishing in point all races but 2015 24 Hours of Spa.
In 2016, Baumann returned as Buhk's teammate (Jazeman Jaafar was the third driver in the Endurance Cup), while HTP Motorsport bought new-for Mercedes-AMG GT3 car. Their pair overscored Rob Bell by ten points in the GT Series to take the title. While in the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup, they were second and third, respectively, with one race win in the two championships. Also he made his debut in the 2016 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, but his squad was not able to finish the race.
For 2017, Buhk got Franck Perera as a teammate for GT Series campaign while Jimmy Eriksson was the third driver in the Endurance Cup. Buhk got his third runner-up spot in the GT Series. He and his teammates were third in both the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup. In the Sprint cup, Buhk with Perera was more successful as they won main Misano race. He repeated 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, but once again his car haven't seen a checkered flag.
In 2018, HTP Motorsport left Blancpain GT Series in the favour of 2018 ADAC GT Masters, where Buhk is a teammate of the Indy Dontje. While in 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup he joined Götz and Álvaro Parente at Strakka Racing.
After the 2022 DTM season, Buhk announced his retirement from racing, citing "shifting priorities".
Racing record Career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 2010 ADAC Formel Masters KUG Motorsport 21 0 0 0 0 34 12th 2011 ADAC Formel Masters KUG Motorsport 24 0 0 1 2 87 9th ma-con 2012 FIA GT3 European Championship Heico Gravity-Charouz Team 12 6 5 2 8 2141st ADAC GT Masters Heico Junior Team 16 0 0 0 0 72 11th 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro HTP Motorsport 3 2 0 0 2 811st ADAC GT Masters Polarweiss Racing 16 1 1 0 6 1653rd FIA GT Series - Pro HTP Gravity Charouz 10 1 0 1 4 70 7th 2014 Blancpain GT Series HTP Motorsport 16 3 0 2 8 1902nd Blancpain Sprint Series - Pro 12 3 0 2 7 1262nd Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro 4 0 0 0 1 64 4th ADAC GT Masters 10 2 0 0 4 90 10th 2015 Blancpain GT Series HTP Motorsport 17 4 1 1 8 1662nd Bentley Team M-Sport Blancpain Sprint Series - Pro Bentley Team HTP 12 4 1 1 8 1351st ADAC GT Masters 2 0 0 0 0 12 32nd Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro Bentley Team M-Sport 5 0 0 0 0 31 10th 2016 Blancpain GT Series HTP Motorsport 15 2 1 0 4 1341st Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 1 1 0 2 672nd Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 1 0 0 2 673rd 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 24H Series - A6 2017 Blancpain GT Series Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport 15 3 3 0 3 1202nd Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 3 3 0 1 683rd Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 0 0 0 2 523rd ADAC GT Masters 1 0 0 0 0 6 35th Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF Blancpain GT Series Asia - GT3 GruppeM Racing Team 8 2 0 3 4 100 4th 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka Racing 4 0 0 0 1 31 9th Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 0 0 0 1 24 19th ADAC GT Masters Mann-Filter Team HTP 14 1 0 0 2 84 5th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD P1 Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 24 59th 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing 5 0 1 1 2 583rd Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 1 0 0 0 0 10 22nd IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD P1 Motorsports 2 0 0 0 0 32 46th Blancpain GT World Challenge America - Pro-Am 2 0 1 0 0 20 12th 24H GT Series - SP4 Mercedes-AMG Team Driving Academy 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon10001N/A2nd2020 24H GT Series - GT3 HTP Winward Motorsport GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Getspeed Performance20000 6 21st AKKA ASP10000 Intercontinental GT Challenge Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing100001016th 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Mercedes-AMG Team Getspeed10000N/ADNF 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport 14 0 0 0 1 28 15th ADAC GT Masters Mann-Filter Team Landgraf-HTP WWR1411041504th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Alegra Motorsports2000023757th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup HubAuto100000NC Intercontinental GT Challenge100000NC 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport 16 0 0 0 0 1 25th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Mercedes-AMG GruppeM Racing 1 0 0 0 0 13 23rd Intercontinental GT Challenge100001216th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro WeatherTech Racing1000027529th
Complete ADAC Formel Masters results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points 2010 KUG Motorsport OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 ASS1 ASS2 ASS3 LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 12th 34 2011 KUG Motorsport OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 ZOL1 ZOL2 ZOL3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 9th 87 ma-con Motorsport LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 ASS1 ASS2 ASS3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3
Complete FIA GT3 European Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos. Points 2012 Heico Gravity-Charouz Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 NOG1 NOG2 ZOL1 ZOL2 NAV1 NAV2 ALG1 ALG2 MSC1 MSC2 NUR1 NUR21st214
Complete ADAC GT Masters results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos. Points2012 HEICO Junior Team Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 OSC1 OSC2 ZAN1 ZAN2 SAC1 SAC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 RBR1 RBR2 LAU1 LAU2 NÜR1 NÜR2 HOC1 HOC2 11th 722013Polarweiss RacingMercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 OSC1 OSC2 SPA1 SPA2 SAC1 SAC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 RBR1 RBR2 LAU1 LAU2 SVK1 SVK2 HOC1 HOC2 3rd 165 2014 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 OSC1 OSC2 ZAN1 ZAN2 LAU1 LAU2 RBR1 RBR2 SLO1 SLO2NÜR1NÜR2SAC1SAC2HOC1HOC2 10th 90 2015 Bentley Team HTP Bentley Continental GT3OSC1OSC2RBR1RBR2SPA1SPA2LAU1LAU2NÜR1NÜR2 SAC1 SAC2ZAN1ZAN2HOC1HOC2 32nd 14 2017 Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3OSC1OSC2LAU1LAU2RBR1RBR2ZAN1ZAN2NÜR1NÜR2SAC1SAC2HOC1HOC2 35th 6 2018 Mann-Filter Team HTP Mercedes-AMG GT3 OSC1 OSC2 MST1 MST2 RBR1 RBR2 NÜR1 NÜR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 5th 842021Mann-Filter Team Landgraf-HTP WWRMercedes-AMG GT3 Evo OSC1 OSC2 RBR1 RBR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 LAU1 LAU2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 4th 150
Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points 2013 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Pro MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR 1st 81 2014 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ProMNZSILLEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24HNÜR 4th 64 2015 Bentley M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 Pro MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR 10th 312016 HTP MotorsportMercedes-AMG GT3Pro MNZ SIL LEC2nd67 AMG - Team HTP Motorsport SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR 2017Mercedes-AMG Team HTP MotorsportMercedes-AMG GT3 Pro MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT 3rd 52 2018 Strakka Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Pro MNZ SIL LEC 19th 24 Mercedes-AMG Team Strakka Racing SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT 2019 Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 ProMNZSILLECSPA6HSPA12HSPA24HCAT 22nd 10 2020 GetSpeed Performance Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Pro IMO NÜR SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H 21st 6 AKKA ASP LEC 2021 HubAuto Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Pro MNZ LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR CAT NC 0 2022 AMG Team GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo ProIMOLECSPA6HSPA12HSPA24HHOCCAT 23rd 13
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos. Points 2013 HTP Gravity Charouz Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Pro NOGQR3 NOGCR3 ZOLQR7 ZOLCRRet ZANQR2 ZANCR1 SVKQR10 SVKCRRet NAVQR NAVCR BAKQR12 BAKCR4 7th 70 2014 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Pro NOGQR NOGCR BRHQR BRHCR ZANQR ZANCR SVKQR SVKCR ALGQR ALGCR ZOLQR ZOLCR BAKQR BAKCR 2nd 126 2015 Bentley Team HTP Bentley Continental GT3 Pro NOGQR NOGCR BRHQR BRHCR ZOLQR ZOLCR MOSQR MOSCR ALGQR ALGCR MISQR MISCR ZANQR ZANCR 1st 1352016 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3Pro MISQR MISCR BRHQR BRHCR NÜRQR NÜRCR3rd67AMG - Team HTP Motorsport HUNQR HUNCR CATQR CATCR 2017 Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Pro MISQR MISCR BRHQR BRHCR ZOLQR ZOLCR HUNQR HUNCR NÜRQR NÜRCR 3rd 68
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)