On his GT3 Mercedes swansong, Marciello was nothing if not consistent. The only driver to qualify in the top three at every GT World Challenge Europe Sprint round earned a record-extending 14th series pole at Misano after his Brands Hatch masterclass.
Key passes to win at Hockenheim emulated Marciello’s glorious fightback in the Paul Ricard 1000km Endurance Cup round. Overall and Endurance titles made up for Sprint defeat following his only error on Zandvoort’s slippery surface. Before joining BMW, the Nurburgring 24 Hours poleman departed with Macau domination.
1. Spa 2017: Epic drive ushers Marciello towards works driver status
This was the drive that truly launched Marciello as a GT racing megastar. Had it not been for the 65-minute maximum stint lengths rule, the Swiss-born Italian could have won his maiden 24-hour race after switching from single-seaters to join Jerome Policand’s ASP squad. The car he shared with Michael Meadows and Edoardo Mortara had to be held for 37s to ensure he didn’t depart the pits with more than 65 minutes to go, and dropped from first to third.
“He was just amazing,” Policand told Autosport in 2020. “He did most of the race, I think he drove for nearly 14 hours so the maximum allowed by the rules.”
Marciello had to be helped from the podium to receive medical attention, but he’d sent a message that could not be ignored and was a Mercedes works driver in 2018.
2. Nurburgring 2018: Securing the Sprint title despite an “average car”