Mercedes-AMG factory driver Raffaele Marciello, teammate to John Ferguson in the #15 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, spoke to EnduranceandGT editor Andy Lloyd at Donington as the Intelligent Money British GT Championship grid prepared for qualifying ahead of Round 4 of the 2023 season.
The Swiss-Italian driver is one of the world’s greatest GT3 pilots, having finished 2022 as Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe GT3 champion after a season that saw the 28-year-old win the Totalenergies 24 Hours of Spa alongside teammates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon in the #88 AMG Team AKKODIS ASP Mercedes GT3.
Although Marciello has enjoyed huge success on the biggest of the world’s racing stages, he is still enjoying exploring UK circuits that his career had not taken him to previously.
“It’s always nice to come to tracks like this,” said Marciello. “I’ve driven at Brands Hatch and Silverstone and this year I’m coming to Donington, Oulton Park and Snetterton. British GT is like GT World Challenge Sprint. There are many strong drivers and the tracks are really nice.”
“It’s a pity about the track limits regulations,” he said, referring to the tighter track limits rules introduced for 2023. “I would like to see it more like the FIA rule where you can put one wheel on the grass and keep one wheel on the track but the racing is really fun. I love the tracks!”
Is switching between all-Pro driving line-ups and Pro-Am combinations a challenge?
“I like to drive and I like to push and when I have to explain how I do it, I’m not so good, let’s say,” he said. “There are some drivers that are much better driver coaches so I don’t change my approach. I go as fast as possible and then I jump out. I try to help John (Ferguson) but I don’t change so much.”
Predicting where a driver might be racing in 12 months is always difficult but, given the opportunity, Raffaele Marciello would like to return to the Intelligent Money British GT Championship in 2024.
“It depends where I will be next year, first of all, but for sure if I can do a championship like this, I will enjoy it a lot because the tracks are great and even if the results don’t go your way, I still enjoy the tracks so for sure I would like to do it again.”
Marciello will be in action this weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000KM round of the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Endurance Cup, driving the #88 AKKODIS ASP Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside regular GT World Challenge Europe teammate Timur Boguslavskiy and fellow factory driver Jules Gounon.
