After an extremely lacklustre start to the season, the 23-year-old returned to his 'parade route' and, along with new team-mate Edward Sandström, secured the first podium finish for Audi of the 2012 ADAC GT Masters season in the Audi R8 LMS ultra prepared by Team Prosperia uhc speed.

Second place at the Sachsenring must have seemed like winning after so much bad luck to start the season?

"I honestly had one or two doubts after the first races. We made mistakes in Oschersleben, had some very bad luck once again in Zandvoort but finished in the points, despite a loose front splitter in the second race. The Sachsenring is actually very much to our liking and made for the Audi R8. But we were unlucky yet again, as the first qualifying session was cancelled and so we had to start from 36th on the grid. Still, we moved up the field to ninth place. Then finally, a podium finish in the second race. That was the well-deserved payback for the hard work put in by everyone in the team during the past few weeks."

Your new team-mate Edward Sandström remains a bit of an unknown quantity for most fans. What can you tell us about the Swedish driver?

"I've known him a long time; he's a good friend of DTM driver Mattias Ekström. I've been up against him on a number of occasions in recent years, for example, at the 24h of Spa and at the Nordschleife. We are team-mates in the European Blancpain Endurance Championship; he drives the team's sister car. He was a few tenths slower than me at the first test in the spring but had a fantastic race at the start of the season at Monza in extremely heavy rain and was incredibly fast. He earned my respect and gained a fan. Edward can quickly cut to the chase and so I immediately said yes when asked if I could see him as my co-driver."

This season, you are contesting not just the ADAC GT Masters but other 24-hour races as well and competing in the European Endurance series. These are very different racing formats, how as a driver do you make the necessary adjustments?

"As a driver, you are under less pressure in the long distance races as compared to the ADAC GT Masters. Racing is indeed very close in the long races but the power density is not as colossal. You need a break after just 30 minutes driving in the ADAC GT Masters. The physical stress after half a race is equivalent to 60 minutes at the wheel in an endurance race."

You've driven the Audi R8 LMS for some three years now in the ADAC GT Masters. What are the major differences to the LMS ultra, the latest stage in development?

"First and foremost, the R8 LMS ultra has better aerodynamics. Whilst not delivering a huge increase in downforce, the driver feels safer and the car feels much more stable. We have bigger front tyres, sharpening the steering response, and a lower weight. The car has been tremendously improved in many areas, but the opposing teams have not been letting the grass grow beneath their feet, as we saw in the first race."

After the initial six races this season, what do you think of the new YOKOHAMA tyres?

"The YOKOHAMA tyres performed extremely well at the Sachsenring. Things were a bit tougher for us at Oschersleben and in Zandvoort which I put down to the fact that conditions were noticeably cooler than at the Sachsenring. The tyre is basically very good."

You are now eleventh in the standings. Are you still thinking in terms of securing a championship title?

"Taking the lead in the ADAC GT Masters is never easy since the power density is enormous. There were five different winners in six races, so the championship is still open. I see a realistic chance of closing the gap if we can consistently secure points in the coming races."

What are your expectations for the next event at the Nürburgring during the ADAC Truck Grand Prix weekend?

"We didn't do too badly there last year. But who knows what's in store this July, despite the six races so far this season! We have a new car, a new tyre partner and a different vehicle classification, which all makes the outcome nigh on impossible to predict. However, I'm counting on a top-five finish."