Raffaele Marciello is also among the six drivers chosen by BMW M Motorsport to take part in the 2024 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar Class.
The multiple GT champion's arrival at the Bavarian court occurred at the end of last season also due to his long-declared desire to try an adventure in the world of prototypes, something that Mercedes could not immediately guarantee him.
'Lello' will be on board the M Hybrid V8 #15 prepared by Team WRT together with Dries Vanthoor, who already appeared in the entry list published by the championship at the end of November, and Marco Wittmann, who has already had the opportunity to gain experience with the LMDh German last season in the IMSA Endurance Cup.
“I can't wait to face this great challenge together with Team WRT and BMW: the fight for race victories and titles in the FIA WEC, with so many great manufacturers, is exactly what I was hoping to face,” comments Marciello .
Photo by: BMW Motorsport
Raffaele Marciello, BMW M Motorsport
“Having been my opponent on the track for years, it's fantastic to now ride alongside Dries, and to have a BMW legend like Marco at your side, really great. I hope to learn from the two of them.”
Wittmann adds: “It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be part of the WEC team. Having already driven the BMW M Hybrid V8 in some races in the IMSA series, I am extremely excited to be joining the Hypercar Class in the FIA WEC. There is a lot excitement around this category for 2024, with so many top-level manufacturers and drivers. It's fantastic to be part of it.”
“The challenge is enormous, but I believe we are well positioned with the M Hybrid V8, Team WRT, the BMW M Motorsport engineers and my teammates, who are extremely fast. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been in my wish list. Driving in the Premier Class in 2024 and hopefully aiming for victory is a dream come true.”
BMW then also defined the second crew for car #20, on which Sheldon Van Der Linde had already been announced.
In addition to the South African we will see René Rast and Robin Frijns at work, the latter then promoted to starting driver after an engagement which initially envisaged his use only in tests.
Photo by: BMW Motorsport
The presentation of the BMW M Hybrid V8
“I have worked successfully with BMW and Team WRT for many years gaining experience in the LMP2 class of the FIA WEC, always with the aim of arriving in the Hypercar Class – says the Dutchman – Now I have this opportunity with BMW M Motorsport and I am absolutely enthusiastic.”
“Everyone is working hard on the project to ensure we have a good base at the start of the season from which to aim for some podiums.”
“Obviously I'm looking forward to the mega event in Le Mans. My teammates René and Sheldon are two great guys who I know well from the DTM. I'll be driving alongside two Champions – what could possibly go wrong?”
Rast echoes him: “Driving for BMW M Motorsport in the Hypercar Class is the beginning of a new chapter for me. In the past I have raced for Audi in some individual races in the top class of the FIA WEC, but never for an entire season” .
“Later, I took part in the LMP2 class, so it's fantastic to be part of a new golden era of endurance racing.”
“I am looking forward to the challenge and I believe we will be competitive with Team WRT, the BMW M Motorsport engineering team and the driver line-up we have.”
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, comments: “We are participating in the 2024 WEC season with a very strong selection of our top-level official driver team for the Hypercar Class.”
“We mixed driving excellence with experience on the two BMW M Hybrid V8s, putting on one hand that with our LMDh and on the other that relating to races and Le Mans in particular.”
“Like Sheldon, Marco has also already driven the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the IMSA series. All the other drivers, including the newcomer Raffaele, have already tested the car and will continue to do so intensively in the coming months.”
In February, BMW will also announce the names of the drivers it will always employ with Team WRT in the brand new LMGT3 Class, for which Valentino Rossi and Augusto Farfus have already been confirmed at the wheel of the M4 GT3 #46 and #32 respectively.
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