Raffaele Marciello is one of the newest drivers to BMW M Motorsport, having been signed at the end of the 2023 season after several years competing as a works driver for Mercedes. He’s going to be a very busy guy in 2024, as BMW is fully utilizing his talents in multiple championships.
Marciello will be competing in the FIA World Championship Hypercar class with BMW M Team WRT behind the wheel of the #15 M Hybrid V8 with Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann, as well as the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup races in a BMW M Team WRT M4 GT3 with Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi. Marciello will also be competing in the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship at Bathurst this weekend in an M4 GT3 entered by BMW M Team WRT, along with Rossi and Martin.
As if he’s not busy enough already, Marciello will also be driving an M4 GT3 for RAM Racing in the British GT Championship this season, along with John Ferguson. RAM Racing is a longtime Mercedes team who is switching to a new manufacturer for the first time since joining the series in 2015, presumably so that they can keep Marciello and Ferguson together in the series. The pair drove together last year in British GT in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and had a victory at Snetterton.
Marciello (left) and Ferguson drove together in a Mercedes in 2023, and won at Snetterton.
Although both will be getting used to the BMW after racing a Mercedes for many years, they should be a strong pairing. Marciello is one of the best GT drivers in the world, and Ferguson is entering his third season of driving GT3-spec cars. “I’m really happy to be back in British GT with John and RAM Racing,” said Marciello. “It’s a big year ahead, being my first as a BMW M works driver, and there’s a lot to learn.
It will be a big challenge for myself and the team to switch car from the Mercedes-AMG to the BMW M4 GT3, and to find the right setups for the tracks. We had a good season overall last year, and we already know the areas where we can improve, so I’m expecting big things for us in British GT this season.”
The first season of the British GT Championship will be at Oulton Park on the weekend of March 30th-April 1st. —David Haueter
[Photos courtesy RAM Racing, British GT]
