Sebastian Asch (AMG - Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-AMG), winner: "To be honest, I was expecting this to turn into one big Audi fest. They had made the biggest impression so far this weekend. So I'm all the more delighted that we have achieved this victory. My start was a bit unfortunate. I let myself get pushed slightly off line jostling for position with an opponent. I got a penalty for that, but only found out about it during the driver changeover. I thought we then had no chance. But Luca gave it everything he'd got in the second half of the race and overtook one after another."
Luca Ludwig (AMG - Team Zakspeed, Mercedes-AMG), winner: "Our pit stop worked well. After that, I made a couple of successful passes. I was coming to terms with finishing as runner-up. But then the safety car came out and I had the race leader in my sights. Without the safety car, we would have had no chance. On the final overtaking manoeuvre, I risked everything, but it worked out OK. This victory was hard fought."
Christopher Mies (#29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS), second: "If I had got drawn into that manoeuvre by Luca Ludwig, it would have ended in a collision, and one of us would have come to a full stop there and then. He had an extremely late braking point, as I noticed early on. That's why I held back, because if you want to be out ahead in this championship, you have to score points in every race and cannot afford any retirements. As regards Sunday's race, we still have work to do, because we're not completely satisfied with the setup."
Marc Basseng (#28 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport-Audi R8 LMS), third: "A great start for our team in the series. Podium finishes for both cars in the very first race is a great achievement. My team-mate Peter was also impressive; after all, this was his first race in a GT3 car. A great result for us to start the season with."
Peter Hoevenaars (#28 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport-Audi R8 LMS), third: "This was not an easy race. Not only was it my first race in a GT3 car, but also I've only managed to put in a few laps in the dry so far this weekend."
Jules Gounon (#77 Callaway Competition-Corvette C7 GT3), P7, third in the Junior class: "That was my first race in a GT3 car. I acquitted myself well, and to finish in seventh place as well as third in the Junior classification is terrific."
Daniel Keilwitz (#77 Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3), P7: "It's nice to start the season with a decent finish, even though I'd hoped for a position in the Top Five perhaps. What we need above all is to get some kilometres under our belts in the new car. The performance of this new car is noticeably better than that of the previous model, but we're still at an early stage of development, and the competition has got more experience with their new cars."
Rolf Ineichen (#63 Grasser Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), Trophy class winner: "I would never have expected my first ADAC GT Masters race to go so well. I held back at the start and drove carefully. I then had some fine battles with a couple of Audis. Christian [Engelhart] subsequently secured a great result for us at the finish line."
Christian Engelhart (#63 Grasser Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P8: "I was pleased about the safety car period, because it enabled us to re-establish the connection to the front-runners. We then had a very good pit stop. Our pace is good, but we just couldn't keep up with the front-runners. The car is not yet quick enough."
Jaap van Lagen (#5 HB Racing WDS, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P19: "We had problems with balance and just slid around. There was no grip. I lost my mirrors in a one-on-one situation, which then didn't help either when I got into more scraps. We still have some more work to do now. I hope things go better on Sunday."
David Jahn (#17 KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P13: "I got away really well at the start after a somewhat chequered qualifying in which we were unlucky, since the stoppage came at exactly the wrong time. I was already 15th after the first turn. I then kept up with the pace of the others. I subsequently handed the car over to Chris. Unfortunately, he was forced off track, which was a shame and we finished back in 13th. Eighth place would have definitely been a realistic proposition. It was a bit tumultuous out there at times. Some of the driving was perhaps a bit over the top. We'll attack again tomorrow. Hopefully, Chris will have a good qualifying and do better than we did today. We aim to finish further up front tomorrow and secure a few points."
Chris van der Drift (#17 KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P13: "Today was a bit disappointing. David got off to an excellent start, and our strategy was good too. I went back out on track in tenth place but was hit, unfortunately, and dropped back. It was a great shame and totally unnecessary. We'll now have to ensure that we finish higher up the field tomorrow."