From missing out on F1 to dominating GT

Absolute domination: These two words are perfect to describe Raffalele Marciello's 2022 season. However, up to the end of 2016 he was expected to be a Formula 1 driver.

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For a long time, Raffaele Marciello was regarded as the strongest driver in the Ferrari Driver Academy. In the 2014 post season tests, he drove the Ferrari F14 T, setting the fastest time. Less than a month later, he was signed as the official reserve driver for the Sauber F1 team.

Raffaele Marciello and at that time Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene didn't have the best relationship. So after only 2 seasons of working with Sauber, Marciello left the team and the FDA after 5 years with the prancing horse.

"I didn't have really confidence from Maurizio," Marciello told Motorsport.com just after his release. "We didn't work well together. So he decided that I was not the right person to be in Ferrari. I think he just didn't like me. It's normal - you can like and not like some people. So he didn't want to let me be in Ferrari. And he pushed me out."

Shortly after, he began his career in GT and started making a name for himself. In 2018, he became an official Mercedes AMG factory driver, and today, he is regarded as the best current GT driver in the world.

While he was met with success ever since signing with Mercedes, 2022 was his most dominant season to date. He won the GT World Challenge Europe, finishing first in the endurance cup and second in the sprint cup. The title in GT Master is his as well. He managed to win the 24 Hours of Spa, the biggest GT3 race in the world.

What is interesting about this is that he changed teammates regularly. Normally, a group of drivers would be the winners of a championship, this time it's only Marciello who is the champion in both series.