Marciello takes final Fanatec GT Sprint pole of 2022 for Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG

Marciello takes final Fanatec GT Sprint pole of 2022 for Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG

Raffaele Marciello secured his fourth pole from five Fanatec GT Sprint events by taking top spot in this morning's season-closing qualifying session at Valencia.

The #89 Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG driver was at the head of the order throughout, ultimately topping the times thanks to a 1m30.845s. This was 0.194s better than Dries Vanthoor (#32 Team WRT Audi), who secured a third successive Fanatec GT Sprint title yesterday alongside Charles Weerts.

While the drivers' crown is settled the teams' championship is still up for grabs. WRT leads Akkodis ASP by eight points heading into the deciding contest, meaning there is still plenty to play for in this afternoon's race. 

What's more, Marciello is well placed to wrap up the combined Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS drivers' title this afternoon. The Swiss boosted his chances further by securing the bonus point for pole in this morning's session.

The second row of the grid will see Klaus Bachler (#56 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche) line up alongside Nicolai Kjærgaard (#159 Garage 59 McLaren). The latter was especially impressive, securing a best starting spot of the 2022 season for the #159 entry and taking Silver Cup pole in the process. 

Audi runners Patric Niederhauser (#25 Saintéloc Junior Team) and Dennis Marschall (#66 Attempto Racing) will share row three, followed by the #54 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche and the #11 Tresor by Car Collection Audi. Ninth overall went to Pro-Am pole-sitter Dean MacDonald (#188 Garage 59 McLaren), who captured his class drivers' title alongside Miguel Ramos yesterday.

Gearbox problems hampered the #53 AF Corse Ferrari that took overall and Silver Cup honours on Saturday. The car will start 18th overall and fifth in class with Pierre Alexandre Jean at the wheel. 

This afternoon's season-closing Fanatec GT Sprint contest will get underway at 14:00 CEST. Live coverage will be available to watch with English, German, French and Italian commentary on the GTWorld YouTube channel.