FROM FERRARI PROTEGE TO MERCEDES PRODIGY

When Raffaele Marciello says “I don’t feel below guys that are in Formula 1”, he means it. Ranked 48th in Autosport’s top 50 drivers of 2020, below 12 from F1, the works Mercedes-AMG GT star is an in-demand 26-year-old who is content with his lot. After all, he’s racing great cars all over the world and is regarded as one of the best in his field.

Take this year’s activities. Marciello is set to compete in the GT World Challenge Europe, ADAC GT Masters and the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie. He’s already finished second in class in the Daytona 24 Hours, and scored two class poles in the four-race Asian Le Mans Series. Over the past three years, he has contested an average of 20.3 race meetings per season, including 21 in COVID-impacted 2020.

Seven years ago, Marciello was the reigning Formula 3 European champion as a Ferrari junior. But given the choice of trading places