Maximilian Götz (#26 HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), winner:

"It's absolutely mega to start the season with a win. We had a bit of a score to settle here at Oschersleben after taking two pole positions last year and coming away with only one point. Well, we've done that now. Over those last few laps, I was looking behind rather than ahead most of the time, because I knew that René Rast is faster at certain points on this track. It was a tough battle, but a fair one. That's how racing should be - the fans and the drivers like it that way. Maxi and I have already had one win this week - that was on Easter Monday in France. You don't often get two victories in six days and I'm savouring the sensation."

Maximilian Buhk (#26 HTP Motorsport-Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), winner:

"If I have to watch many more close finishes like that, my hair will start to turn grey! The battle for the win was great to watch, but frankly it would have suited me if it hadn't been quite so exciting. I got off to a good start, and I was hoping that my opponents wouldn't be so quick off the mark. And that's the way it turned out. After that, I was able to build up a decent lead, but then the two safety car periods disrupted my rhythm."

René Rast (#10 Prosperia C Abt Racing, Audi R8 LMS ultra), P2:

"In terms of actual lap times, we were superior to the Mercedes, but once you've got an SLS AMG in front of you, there's no way past. Although we were better on the brakes and faster on the slow corners, an overtaking manoeuvre would have been too risky. For me, the points were more important, because we certainly didn't want to start the season with a blank account. I was hoping all the while that Götz would make an error, but he wasn't willing to oblige."

Daniel Dobitsch (#100 kfzteile24 APR Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS ultra), P4:

"Unfortunately, the decision to contest this year's ADAC GT Masters was taken rather late, which didn't leave us much time for preparation. Under the circumstances, we couldn't really expect a better result. At the end of the final safety car deployment, I was worried that the pursuing pack would be swarming all over me, but I managed to defend my position right through to the end of the race."

Jaap van Lagen (#3 GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P3:

"I had a lot of fun today and I'm absolutely delighted to have secured a podium in the first race. The car was fine and I'm hoping that we'll finish one or two places further forward tomorrow."

Christian Engelhart (#3 GW IT Racing Team // Schütz Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P3:

"I got off to a good start but was then surprised to see Maxi Buhk level with me. Unfortunately, I lost two places. As a result, the gap to the race leader in the second stint was a bit too big to close. Jaap did a great job in the second half of the race and was very fast, but it still wasn't enough to catch up with the Mercedes. The Audis also performed well today - Rene Rast drove a strong race."

Toni Seiler (#18 Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), P10 and winner in the Gentlemen classification:

"I was caught napping at the start because I wanted to play safe. Our priority was to finish the race in one piece and not to come unstuck on Turn 1. I got through the first corner without making contact with anyone and then drove a clean stint in order to save the tyres for Jeroen.

Marc A Hayek (#25 Blancpain Racing, Lamborghini Gallardo FL2), P12 and runner-up in the Gentlemen classification:

"After things didn't go too well for me in qualifying, I got on fine in the race itself. I drove with safety first in mind and tried not to lose contact with the rest of the field. At the end of the day, the result was OK, the car was fine and I'm enjoying myself again."

Peter Kox (#25 Blancpain Racing, Lamborghini Gallardo FL2), P12:

"Marc Hayek has been out of it for quite a while and needs a bit of time to get back into the swing of things. The ADAC GT Masters is one of the most competitive of all GT3 series, so from that aspect, he's well on the way - he didn't make any mistakes, and we finished second in our class. We did well today, and we can only get better over the next few races. I'm very satisfied, and we've proved that we're back in business."

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#18 Callaway Competition, Corvette Z06.R GT3), P10:

"I'm happy with the way things went. It was an interesting race with several safety car periods. We had to battle hard, but Toni was able to work his way back after losing several places at the start. Our speed today was really good."

Herbert Handlos (#7 TONINO Team Herberth, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P15 and third in the Gentlemen classification:

"This was my first race in the ADAC GT Masters, my first at Oschersleben and my first in the 911 GT3 R, so all things considered, that wasn't such a bad result. You're not going win a whole season on the first corner. I felt my way quite gingerly into the race, but we're up against a really strong field and we need a bit more practice."

Florian Spengler (#14 MRS GT-Racing, McLaren MP4-12C GT3), P19:

"We knew that we were in for a hard time here at Oschersleben, but we didn't realise it would be quite so extreme. We're three seconds off the pace and we have absolutely no grip. We know that our car can do so much better. We're going to turn it upside down before tomorrow's race and see if we can discover some major fault."

Maro Engel (#23 ROWE RACING, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3), P5:

"Starting from tenth today, P5 was the maximum we could hope for. The team worked very hard and Jan did a great job at the start. I managed to finish the race well. It was enjoyable, but it's also clear that we have to be a lot faster if we're going to mix it with the front-runners.

Sven Barth (#13 RWT RacingTeam, Corvette Z06.R GT3), P8:

"David did a super job at the start, but unfortunately we lost a couple of seconds on the driver changeover. Towards the end, the tyres were degrading fast and I had to let Norbert Siedler go past, but eighth place in the first race of the season is actually quite good."

Jens Klingmann (#20 PIXUM Team Schubert, BMW Z4 GT3), P20:

"Max got hit on the first lap and sustained damage to the wheel rim, which meant we had to make an emergency pit stop. From that point on, we treated the race as a test and tried out a few things that may come in handy in tomorrow's race."