• Raffaele Marciello with Mercedes-AMG GT3 wins ADAC GT Masters drivers’ championship
  
• Mercedes-AMG GT3 #48 qualifies on pole position at Hockenheimring 
• MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF still in contention for the teams’ championship on Sunday

A dramatic Saturday race at Hockenheimring saw Raffaele Marciello (SUI) claim the deserved ADAC GT Masters drivers’ championship title. The Mercedes-AMG driver of MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF having claimed pole position during qualifying, he finished the race in fifth place together with his teammate Daniel Juncadella (ESP) due to slight damage to the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The resulting eleven points were enough for Marciello to be crowned champion already prior to Sunday’s final race of the season. After the runner-up position in DTM by Lucas Auer (AUT) and the GT World Challenge Europe drivers’ title by Raffaele Marciello, victory in the GT Masters is the next big achievement for the Mercedes-AMG customer sports programme within just a few weeks.

For the decisive season finale, ADAC GT Masters is present at Hockenheimring this weekend. Having arrived as the favourite for the drivers’ title with a 42-point margin, Mercedes-AMG driver Raffaele Marciello just needed a maximum of 15 further points from the final two races of the season to secure the championship title. The battle in the teams’ classification promised excitement, too: equal on points with the competition, MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF started the concluding race weekend tied in first place of the overall standings.

In the 20-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning, Raffaele Marciello immediately proved to be the fastest man in the field. In dry conditions at the 4.574 kilometres long track with its impressive tradition, he put the iconic “yellow mamba” on pole position, scoring another three points on his way towards the title. Fabian Schiller (GER) qualified third on the grid with the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Drago Racing Team ZVO.

Race: a double lead for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams after the start
By virtue of a perfect start into the one-hour raced in the afternoon, Raffaele Marciello defended his lead with the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in commanding fashion. Fabian Schiller stayed on the inside in the Nordkurve, gained one position and emerged in second place with the #4 GT3 from the opening stage, marked by numerous contacts.

Carbon parts spread across the track resulted into a brief safety-car intervention after around ten minutes. MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF and Drago Racing Team ZVO maintained the double lead for Mercedes-AMG and defended it until the pit stop window opened. The two Mercedes-AMG GT3 waited until the final possible lap to complete the mandatory driver change. Marciello handed the #48 to Daniel Juncadella and from then on had to rely on his teammate’s abilities. Jules Gounon got into the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number 4 for the second half of the race, stepping in for Schiller.

Subsequently, a thrilling battle for first place between Juncadella and Gounon unfolded. Gounon put his fellow Mercedes-AMG driver under pressure over and over again and finally made an overly motivated attempt to overtake in the final corner before the start and finish straight. In the process, the #4 car incurred an unfortunate puncture that dropped Gounon to the back of the field.

After that, Juncadella avoided any risk to ensure that the drivers’ championship title for his teammate wouldn’t get in jeopardy. As seventh place would be enough to decide the battle for the title and the car had minor damage, the experienced Spaniard no longer defended by all means and let some of his opponents go. After 60 minutes, he crossed the finish line in fifth place with the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and therefore enabled Raffaele Marciello to win his maiden ADAC GT Masters championship title.

Outstanding second half of the season paved the way towards the drivers’ championship for Marciello
After some setbacks at the beginning of the year, Raffaele Marciello and MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF only advanced to championship favourites in the second half of the season. His impressive consistency as a driver this year saw the 27-year-old Swiss score one victory at Nürburgring and seven further podium results in the highly competitive German GT championship. Moreover, with varied teammates, he finished in the point-scoring positions twelve times from 13 races.

The championship title in his third year as a regular driver in ADAC GT Masters is also the crowning end of an extraordinary season of success. After the historic victory in the Spa 24-hour race, Marciello went on to win the GT World Challenge Europe drivers’ title and the Endurance Cup classification at Barcelona. Now, he will also go into the winter break as the reigning GT Masters champion.

First, however, Marciello still has to perform once again on Sunday. In the final race of the season, it is still about victory in the teams’ championship for himself, together with Juncadella, Frank Bird (GBR), Elias Seppänen (FIN) and MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF.

Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “Congratulations to MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF and Raffaele Marciello! He absolutely wanted to win this title, has fought hard for it and now, without any doubt, is the deserving 2022 drivers’ champion. Generally, we can be unbelievably proud of everything we have achieved together with Lello this season: from victory in the Spa 24-hour race and the GT World Challenge Europe championship titles up to this day and the GT Masters title. All in all, therefore, we are more than happy with the way this season went.”

Raffaele Marciello, driver, MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF #48: “Because of our huge advantage in the championship, we could afford to take a little bit less risk than normally. Nevertheless, I would have been happy with a better result. However, that is not so significant today because we have won the championship. That is the result of a great season for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing and for me personally. Together, we have won Kyalami, Spa, Indy and the GT World Challenge, so I am very happy.”

Daniel Juncadella, driver, MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF #48: “It was a difficult race. The tyre degraded in the second half of the race, so that I came under quite some pressure. Then I just tried to bring the car home. I lost a few positions, but in the end, we have won the championship.”

Elias Seppänen, driver, MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF #84: “It was challenging today, but the position fights were fun, too. I am happy that we were able to win the drivers’ title with the sister car. Now, we have to focus once more to win the teams’ championship with MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF as well.”

* excerpt subject to confirmation by the organiser