Max Hofer (Phoenix Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P1 in general classification, P1 in Pirelli Junior class: “I came under a lot of pressure from Mirko Bortolotti. The Lamborghini was extremely strong. He had a small advantage on some sections, but I concentrated on my own race and didn’t look back. I kept varying my line to make it as hard as possible for him. Ultimately, that worked. Our team crew work day and night, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to reward their efforts with this win.”

Philip Ellis (Phoenix Racing, Audi R8 LMS) P1 in general classification, P1 in Pirelli Junior class: “We weren’t expecting to win here today. We knew we had the potential to get among the front-runners, but we never thought that we had enough for the victory. Max put in a great performance both in qualifying and in the first stint and laid the perfect groundwork. It was really close towards the end, and I had to fight hard to defend the lead. There was a lot of pressure from behind, so I’m all the happier that I managed to hang on for the win.”

Kelvin van der Linde (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 in general classification, P2 in Pirelli Junior class: “In any case, I am definitely satisfied. That was the first time I’ve been up on the podium with my brother. The rear left tyre was gradually losing pressure. At the end of the day, we were actually quite lucky to finish. I don’t think we could have managed another lap. We are well satisfied.”

Sheldon van der Linde (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 in general classification, P2 in Pirelli Junior class: “My start was very good. I gained two positions and that was the making of our podium finish. Initially, I was losing some ground on the leading pair but managed to close the gap again. But then we had a slow puncture which dropped me further back. Kelvin took the car through to the finish.”

Timo Scheider (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P3 in general classification, P3 in Pirelli Junior class: “That was a good start to the season. We didn’t quite know what to expect before. Consequently, it was important to start the year with a good result. We couldn’t have finished any higher than we did.”

Mikkel Jensen (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P3 in general classification, P3 in Pirelli Junior class: “We lost positions at the start. After that, I soon realised that the cars in front of us were stronger, and so I focused on defending my position.”

Maximilian Buhk (MANN-FILTER Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P6 in general classification: “I was part of the pursuing group all the time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attack in the way I would have liked. We had a problem with pickup on the tyres. Once they’ve got it, there’s no way you can get rid of it. Consequently, I had very little grip.”

Timo Bernhard (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P13 in general classification: “We have mixed feelings about the race. Obviously, we’re not happy with the result. It began well, and I gained two positions at the start. Unfortunately, I was pushed off track in Turn 3, which was very unfair, as I lost five positions. The other driver then had to let me pass again, but I was stuck in ninth place. Unfortunately, Kévin spun while trying to move up into P8, and we dropped out of the Top Ten. In terms of performance, clearly more should have been possible. Certainly the Top Ten. We simply had a bit of bad luck today, but we will not give up, and everybody in the second race tomorrow had better watch out!”

Kévin Estre (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P13 in general classification: “What a tough race! Timo got off to a great start but then lost five positions after a collision in Turn 3. We were fast after that again, but overtaking is difficult here. I came back out in the same position after the pit stop. I tried to overtake the Audi in front of me. He left a small gap, I went for the opening, but he then shut the door. I tried to avoid contact, stayed on the brakes, started to oversteer and spun. That cost me a lot of positions. I regained two places, but it wasn’t enough to finish in the points. We’ve got the pace over a lap in qualifying tomorrow to compete up front, maybe not on pole, but in the Top Ten or even Top Five.”

Patrick Assenheimer (AutoArenA Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P17 in general classification: “We made it our number one priority to gain as many positions as possible without taking too many risks and to gather valuable insights for tomorrow. In that respect, we were very successful.”

Jan-Erik Slooten (IronForce by RING POLICE, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P22 in general classification, winner in Pirelli Trophy class: “We never expected that after having to start from the very back because of a penalty in qualifying. I got away well, which was half the battle. Lucas did an extremely good job during his stint and gained a few places. We’re very satisfied.”

Lucas Luhr (IronForce by RING POLICE, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P22 in general classification, winner in Pirelli Trophy class: “Of course, it’s not easy to move forwards when you have to start from the back in such a competitive race series. I think we did everything right. Jan drove a sound race. We came in early for our pit stop, and I had a good outlap. I got stuck behind a Corvette for quite a while subsequently and couldn’t get by. When I finally did, I was then able to push on relatively quickly. We’ve learnt a lot as a team. We’re obviously still at the beginning of our journey. The series is extremely tough, so you can’t expect to be a front-runner straightaway.”