No, the pans and the grill are heated by the same heating element. This means that the heat comes from below on the grill plate (grilling) and from above in the pans (gratinating). However, the levels can be used separately.
Important: The empty pans must not be left on the heated level, as this can damage the coating. To ‘park’ the empty pans, there is an insertion level below the raclette level provided for this purpose, but the empty pans must not be left on the heated level, as this can damage the coating. There is an extra shelf below the raclette level for ‘parking’ the empty pans.