Christian Engelhart (GRT Grasser-Racing-Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3): "A perfect start for us right from the word go. We are nicely set up for qualifying. Let´s see how it all looks tomorrow – because that´s when it really counts."

Rahel Frey (YACO Racing, Audi R8 LMS): "Zandvoort is a natural venue for the GT Masters. After the dry conditions in the first free practice session, the weather is starting to change. We have to see what impact that has on our chances. Because the start to the weekend was really good – we are among the front-runners and in good shape. I´m looking forward to the race."

Luca Ludwig (AMG-Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-AMG GT3): "I think it´s great that Zandvoort is now on the race calendar. Zandvoort has always had a unique flair and a great atmosphere. It´s now one of a few really challenging tracks where every error is immediately punished hard – take for example my spin in free practice. Our expectations are high for this weekend. We want to be mixing it with the front-runners, and we´re hoping that that we can create the conditions for that in the next two days."

Jules Gounon (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R): "It´s my first time at Zandvoort on this old-school track. This morning, we had a fight on our hands, but after putting in some hard work on the setup of the car, things are now looking better. All the same, it´s going to be a tough battle tomorrow."

Christian Abt (Team Director, Bentley Team ABT): "Zandvoort is a new challenge for us, but we are well positioned with our Bentley Continental GT3. It has always been the case that the driver matters most at Zandvoort, more so than on other tracks. I know what I´m talking about. I´m thoroughly familiar with the place, and my record here – both as a driver and as a team boss – is very good. So I´m very interested to see which of my drivers stands out as the best here. Our target is once again a Top Five finish, and we´re working hard to achieve that."

Jeroen den Boer (Schubert Motorsport BMW M6 GT3): "I´m obviously making my comeback here with some very good memories. After all, I took pole and won a race here in 2012 – in only our second GT Masters outing. But my expectations are modest this time. For the past two years. I haven´t competed in any GT3 races, and today´s free practice sessions were my first time in the BMW M6. I find it completely different to the Z4. I´ve just been looking at my data and of course see room for improvement. It´s important now to get into the rhythm, and I hope that we´ll then do OK tomorrow."

Christer Jöns (Bentley Team ABT, Bentley Continental GT3): "Both sessions went unexpectedly well. That´s all fine and dandy, but of course we have to wait and see what the opposition do in qualifying. Only then can we really know where we stand. In the meantime, we´re pleased with the way our great car is performing on this fantastic circuit."

Martin Ragginger (Precote Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R): "Everything went according to plan. The car is very good over the distance. We weren´t using fresh tyres most of the time, so we dropped down the leader board somewhat. But we are well prepared for tomorrow."

Marco Bonanomi (Aust Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS): "We are satisfied with the first day. We´ve worked hard on the setup, but we´ve still got a bit to do. We now have to decide on the basis of the data which direction to go in. I think it´s looking quite good. But a lot will also depend on the weather. It seems we´re going to get rain."