You made a good start in the ADAC GT Masters with a win on Sunday. What do you think of the Super Sports Car League?

“This championship series is very tough, because it’s incredibly close. You have to get everything dead right to have a decent chance of a good finish. You’ve got no chance unless you push every second of the way. You have to be both talented and clever as a driver, but I really enjoy going up against all these terrific drivers.”

You’re driving for BMW Team Schnitzer. How do you find working with experienced motor racing greats like Team Principal Charly Lamm?

“Charly Lamm is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever worked with. He attaches great importance to every detail and goes the extra mile to be well prepared. I think you could definitely call him a perfectionist.”

How much are you learning from team-mate Philipp Eng?

“My father and grandfather always used to tell me: ‘Only a happy racing driver is a good racing driver.’ That’s Philipp all over. He always has a big smile on his face and radiates positivity, which helps me as much as his experience and his speed. Both he and everyone at BMW Team Schnitzer have played a big part in our success.”

You have been sponsored by BMW as a junior driver since 2016. How did that come about?

“It’s all thanks to my good performance in the 2015 British Formula 4 championship, in which I finished second. The managers at BMW Motorsport then invited me to take part in a junior scouting session for the 2016 season. I was able to win through against tough opposition. That meant a great deal to me, because it wasn’t until 2014 that I was able to fight my way back to form after a serious injury.”

Your family have close ties with BMW. Your father, Rob, has successfully raced BMWs in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) since 2008…

“I’ve always been a big fan of BMWs. Even as a lad, I used to go to the circuit with my father to cheer on the best BMW in the BTCC and am now very proud to be able to continue the family tradition at BMW. It’s something that hits me every time I put on my BMW racing overalls. Every test, every race kilometre is something special.”

In what ways are BMW giving you support?

“I do fitness tests on the BMW Motorsport programme for juniors and am really well catered for with training and nutrition plans by the experts at Formula Medicine, who are specialists in motor racing. They put me on the right path. Plus, I have a racing simulator at home which BMW also use for training purposes.”

You have quite an extensive schedule apart from the ADAC GT Masters. You have tested the DTM car, are developing the new BMW GT4 and racing on the Nordschleife. Are you enjoying these challenges?

“It’s just brilliant to have so much to do. I couldn’t wish for a better chance to show off my skills while benefiting from the experience of other team members at the same time. I think that BMW Motorsport have a lot of confidence in me and would obviously like to show that I deserve their trust. I feel that I’m making speedy progress and proved that by winning the ADAC GT Masters. BMW are turning me into a much better racing driver.”

What goals do you have for the rest of the season?

“Three months ago, I would have said, I just want to finish every race, but now, since I’m leading the championship, I obviously want to continue to be as successful as possible. My main focus is on the team, for whose success, I’ll do all I can.”