Raffaele Marciello Bio
Raffaele Marciello (born 17 December 1994) is a Swiss-born Italian professional racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for BMW M Team WRT. A former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, he was the 2013 European Formula Three Champion, a reserve and test driver for the Sauber Formula One team in 2015, and spent three seasons competing in the GP2 Series. He switched to GT racing in 2017, became a works Mercedes-AMG driver ahead of the 2018 campaign, and later signed with BMW after leaving the Mercedes program in 2023.
Known affectionately as “Lello,” Marciello has built a versatile résumé spanning single-seaters, sportscar endurance events, and GT sprint formats. His biggest endurance result came in 2022, when he won the Spa 24 Hours, and he added a maiden FIA GT World Cup crown at Macau in 2023 before beginning a new chapter with BMW in the Hypercar class.
Early Life and Background
Raffaele Marciello was born on 17 December 1994 in Zürich, Switzerland, to Italian parents. Growing up close to the border of Italy and Switzerland, he was exposed early to the strong motorsport culture of northern Italy, where karting circuits are plentiful and feeder racing series are well supported.
He began his competitive racing career in karting in 2005, working his way up from the junior ranks through the European karting championships. By 2010, he had progressed to the KF2 category, the final step before moving into single-seater cars. That same year he also became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, joining fellow karter Brandon Maïsano as part of the Scuderia’s young-driver program.
Path to NASCAR
Raffaele Marciello’s career has been built entirely in open-wheel and sportscar racing, and he has never competed in NASCAR. His development ran through Formula Abarth, Italian Formula Three, the Formula 3 Euro Series, the FIA European Formula Three Championship, and the GP2 Series before he transitioned to GT racing with Mercedes-AMG.
Raffaele Marciello Career
Early Career (2010–2013)
Marciello moved into single-seaters in 2010 with the newly launched Formula Abarth series in Italy, racing for JD Motorsport. He won the opening race at Misano and added a second victory at Varano, ending the season third in the standings. Those results, paired with his place in the Ferrari Driver Academy, marked him as a driver to watch.
In 2011, he stepped up to the Italian Formula Three Championship with Prema Powerteam, claiming wins at Misano and Adria and finishing third overall. The following year he remained with Prema and contested both the Formula 3 Euro Series and the revived FIA European Formula Three Championship, scoring more wins than any other driver in both championships. He then captured the 2013 European Formula Three title, becoming a clear front-runner for the next step on the single-seater ladder.
GP2 Series (2014–2016)
On 20 January 2014, the Ferrari Driver Academy confirmed Marciello would graduate to the GP2 Series for the 2014 season, and on 18 February it was announced he would drive for Racing Engineering. His breakthrough came at Spa-Francorchamps, where he claimed his first GP2 victory in the feature race after a hard-fought duel with McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne.
For 2015, Marciello switched to Trident Racing but struggled to match his rookie form, finishing seventh overall. In 2016 he joined Russian Time, replacing Mitch Evans, and continued to develop his race craft in the highly competitive GP2 paddock. Across his three GP2 seasons he established himself as a consistent points scorer.
Formula One Involvement (2014–2015)
On 26 November 2014, Marciello made his Formula One debut behind the wheel of a Ferrari F14 T during that day’s post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit. He set the second-fastest time of the session, half a second adrift of Pascal Wehrlein in a Mercedes. Shortly afterward, on 31 December 2014, it was announced that Marciello had signed as test and reserve driver for the Sauber Formula One team for 2015.
In January 2016, however, Sauber confirmed that Marciello had been dropped, and he parted ways with the Ferrari Driver Academy for personal reasons, closing the door on his immediate Formula One ambitions and steering his career toward GT racing.
Mercedes-AMG GT Career (2017–2023)
Marciello ventured into the sportscar scene in 2017, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for AKKA ASP in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance and Sprint Cups. His debut season featured two podiums in each cup, with a standout performance at the 24 Hours of Spa, where, after qualifying on pole, he completed the maximum 14 driving hours on the way to a third-place finish.
He became a full Mercedes-AMG factory driver ahead of 2018 and added the Sprint Cup title that year alongside Michael Meadows, while also taking a win at the Suzuka 10 Hours in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. He captured the ADAC GT Masters crown in 2022 with Team Landgraf and, that same season, won both the GT World Challenge Europe overall title and the Endurance Cup, highlighted by victory in the 24 Hours of Spa with Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. In 2023, he defended the Endurance Cup title with Gounon and closed his Mercedes career with a dominant FIA GT World Cup win at Macau in November, a result he called a “last gift” to the brand.
BMW M Team WRT Era (2024–Present)
The week after his 2023 Macau triumph, Marciello announced he would be joining BMW as a factory driver. In January 2024, it was confirmed that he would make his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the top-flight Hypercar class, driving for factory-backed Team WRT in a BMW M Hybrid V8 alongside Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann.
His current dual program in 2025 continues to balance the FIA World Endurance Championship with the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, both run with BMW M Team WRT.
Driving Style and Strengths
Marciello is widely respected for his smooth, tire-friendly driving style, an attribute that shines in long stints at endurance events such as the 24 Hours of Spa and the Nürburgring 24 Hours. His single-seater background gives him strong aerodynamic awareness and race-pace consistency, and his teamwork with co-drivers like Timur Boguslavskiy and Jules Gounon has produced multiple championship results.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his 2022 Spa 24 Hours win, his 2022 and 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup titles, his 2022 ADAC GT Masters championship, his 2018 Suzuka 10 Hours victory, and his commanding 2023 FIA GT World Cup triumph at the Guia Circuit in Macau.
Raffaele Marciello Career Wins
Across single-seaters and GT racing, Raffaele Marciello has accumulated an extensive and varied trophy cabinet that includes junior-formula titles, endurance classics, and international GT cups.
Formula Three Highlights
Marciello’s standout single-seater achievement was the 2013 European Formula Three Championship crown, captured with Prema Powerteam. Earlier, in 2012, he scored more wins than any other driver in both the Formula 3 Euro Series and the FIA European Formula Three Championship, finishing third and second respectively in the standings.
GT World Challenge and Endurance Highlights
Marciello has won multiple GT World Challenge Europe titles with AKKA ASP and AKKodis ASP, including the 2022 overall crown and the 2022 and 2023 Endurance Cup championships. His crowning endurance moment came at the 2022 Spa 24 Hours, and he added the 2018 Sprint Cup title with Michael Meadows. He also won the FIA GT World Cup at Macau in 2023.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his headline championships, Marciello won the 2022 ADAC GT Masters title with Team Landgraf, took the 2018 Suzuka 10 Hours in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, and scored a victory in the 2020 ADAC GT Masters finale at Oschersleben with Philip Ellis. He also won a round of the British GT Championship at Snetterton in 2023 with Ram Racing.
Raffaele Marciello Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Marciello was born in Zürich to Italian parents and grew up close to the Italian border, a region known for its deep karting and motorsport tradition. His Italian heritage has been a defining part of his identity even as he represents Switzerland in international competition.
Personal Life
Marciello raced under an Italian licence for most of his career before switching to a Swiss racing licence from 2022 onwards, citing a lack of support from the Italian motorsport governing body. He is commonly known by the nickname “Lello” in the paddock.
2025 Season Performance
Raffaele Marciello’s 2025 campaign is centered on his FIA World Endurance Championship program with BMW M Team WRT in the Hypercar class. Sharing the BMW M Hybrid V8 with Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann, he is targeting regular top finishes as the manufacturer develops its new GTP platform against established rivals from Toyota, Ferrari, and Peugeot.
Outside of the WEC, he continues to compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with BMW M Team WRT, balancing his Hypercar commitments with selected GT appearances. His familiarity with both sprint and endurance formats, paired with his proven ability to deliver clean, consistent stints, makes him a central figure in BMW’s factory lineup.