ADAC GT Masters·20.5.2017

ADAC GT Masters: Comments after the first race: Observations from the Lausitzring paddock

Robert Renauer (Precote Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911), race winner: "The Lausitzring is a track that seems to suit us. Even though under normal circumstances a victory today would have been inconceivable. That’s because the Mercedes-AMG was simply too strong. But we gratefully accepted the collision between our opponents and then made sure that we saw the victory home. We have scored a lot of points and have taken over at the top of the table. I hope Sunday’s race goes just as well, so that we leave the Lausitzring as championship leaders.”

Sven Müller (Precote Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911), race winner: "What a great feeling. We weren’t expecting to win this weekend. We are mega happy. Robert did a great job in his stint. We obviously benefited from the accident involving the leading Mercedes-AMG. Towards the end, their driver was putting on a lot of pressure again. I had to push hard, but it was enough. It was quite exhausting near the end, because I’ve got a cold. I’m very happy, because this is not only my first victory in the ADAC GT Masters but also my first in a GT3 sports car.”

Luca Stolz (Mercedes-AMG Team ZAKSPEED, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P2 in the general classification and winner in the Junior class: "We are delighted to have scored a lot of points as race runner-up. But it was actually quite obvious that we deserved the victory. We drove a faultless race but were unfortunately pushed off the track by an opponent.”

Luca Ludwig (Mercedes-AMG Team ZAKSPEED, Mercedes-AMG GT3), Mercedes-AMG GT3), P2 in the general classification and winner in the Junior class: "It’s so frustrating when you have the victory in prospect and then finish only second. As a winner, you score significantly more points, and that is very important for the championship. Second place may be a great result, but ultimately only victory counts.”

Ezequiel Perez Companc (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P3 in the general classification and P2 in the Junior class: "I went round the first corner on the outside, which cost me a couple of places. I saw that there was a lot of jostling for position at the front and so I bided my time. I wanted to hand the car over to Mirko in good shape. He then drove superbly well and pulled off some great overtaking moves. We also intend to go on the attack on Sunday. I think another podium is possible.”

Mirko Bortolotti (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P3 in the general classification and P2 in the Junior class: "We made an early pit stop and that paid off. I felt very comfortable in the car right away, as I had done all weekend. We found an excellent setup in free practice. On the first few laps, I pushed really hard and closed the gap on the leading group. I had an enjoyable scrap with Daniel Keilwitz and then overtook him on the hairpin. After that, I went past the Mercedes-AMG of Marvin Kirchhöfer and booked us a place on the podium. I am very happy. It was a great performance by the whole team.”

Indy Dontje (Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P4 in the general classification and P3 in the Junior class: "I was a bit taken by surprise at the start and lost a place. I had an exciting scrap with the Corvette of Sven Barth after that. We missed out on the podium in the end, as the Lamborghini was able to overtake. What a pity! But still, we’ve scored plenty of points and taken third place in the Junior championship. I think we did a great job”

Marvin Kirchhöfer (Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P4 in the general classification and P3 in the Junior class: "Indy and I are both very ambitious but are also still rookies in the ADAC GT Masters, so you have to see our P4 from both angles. We were in third place for quite a while but lost time at the pit stop, which we’ll have to look into. The Lamborghini kept getting closer as a result. He took me a bit by surprise on the last corner and overtook me. I eased off and didn’t shut the door. Still, we’ve learnt a lot and are improving with every race.”

Mathieu Jaminet (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P7 in the general classification: "From P16 to seventh – it was a really good race for us. The car is greatly improved, which will be excellent for Michi in qualifying tomorrow. We can fight for the podium provided we can start from a place in the Top Ten.”

Michael Ammermüller (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P7 in the general classification: "Mathieu did a superb job. He got away to a great start and gained a couple of positions at the same time. He then handed the car over to me without any signs of damage. It was much better than yesterday. Things are looking good for tomorrow.”

Sven Barth (RWT Racing, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P15 in the general classification and winner in the Trophy class: "I was in fourth place after the start right behind Indy Dontje. He was slower than us. I had to really push as the two leaders began to draw away. I tried several times to get past him, but he closed the door every time. Then I saw a gap but braked too late. I had to go through the gravel bed and dropped back down to P21. We managed to gain a few places after that but were ultimately unable to finish any higher than P15 and take the win in the Trophy class.”

Maximilian Hackländer (RWT Racing, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P15 in the general classification and winner in the Trophy class: "We were at least able to secure the win for Sven in the Trophy class. I made a few mistakes, which I’m not happy about. We might otherwise have finished three places higher up, but it doesn’t make a deal of difference, since there are no points for eleventh place.”

Adrien de Leener (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), DNF: "My start was quite good. I went around the outside through Turn 1 and intended to do the same in Turn 4. I moved up a few places, but then the two cars in front of me spun. I moved over to the left onto the grass. Another car did the same and hit me from behind. The car got worse after that. We would have liked to have continued, but there was ultimately no point in risking the car for a P20 finish.”