ADAC GT Masters·8.9.2018

ADAC GT Masters: Comments after the first race : Reactions from the paddock following Saturday's race at the Sachsenring

Timo Bernhard (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P1 overall: "The race went perfectly. A great result, as we'd worked hard for this win. At the restarts after the three safety car deployments, I made sure that I got away cleanly and that the brakes and tyres were at the right temperature, because I had two young bucks behind me in the shape of Sheldon and Nicolai who were ready to pounce. The car was very good. Sheldon was able to match me for pace in places, so the gap that I established was hard earned. But I was determined to hand the car over to Kévin in the lead."

Kévin Estre (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P1 overall: "Timo got away to a great start from pole. He then kept pulling out a bit of a gap, but this was repeatedly cancelled out by the safety car. The team had the right strategy with a very early pit stop, as we were running into traffic. I had a good outlap and from then on increased our lead. I'm happy for the whole team, because they have worked so hard. After our team-mates secured a first podium of the campaign at Zandvoort, we've also now gone and done it. It's great to be back on top."

Kelvin van der Linde (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall and winner of Pirelli Junior classification: "My brother did an excellent job on his first stint. It's never easy to maintain second place during a flying start. The deficit on the Porsche was already too big on my stint. I just brought the car home. It was not easy. There was a lot of dirt on the track, and on every lap, I had to focus on taking the racing line and on not making any mistakes. I'm pleased with second place and points towards the championship and with the Junior class win for my brother."

Sheldon van der Linde (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall and winner of Pirelli Junior classification: "For us, the race was actually quite uneventful. We started from second place and were able to hold the position for the whole race. We couldn't do more, because the Porsche was just too strong today. But I'm still happy, because we scored a lot of points."

Nicolai Sylvest (Team Zakspeed BKK Mobil Oil Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P3 overall and P2 in Pirelli Junior classification: "What a great race! I was extremely on edge when Kim-Luis was driving, because I really wanted this result. The car was great. Thanks to everyone at Zakspeed team for that. I'm really savouring the moment."

Kim-Luis Schramm (Team Zakspeed BKK Mobil Oil Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P3 overall and P2 in Pirelli Junior classification: "I'm very pleased. Nicolai did a great job in qualifying third, and his stint in the race was also terrific. We were heading for a podium at the Nürburgring, but things didn't work out. Today though, we had the luck we needed and it was finally enough for the podium."

Mikkel Jensen (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P4 overall, P3 in Pirelli Junior classification: "We had a good qualifying, but our race pace was not so hot. We changed set-up again, causing the car to understeer. I tried to make the best of it without overtaxing the tyres. Timo then did a good job of bringing the car home. I'm pleased with our position."

Timo Scheider (BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M6 GT3), P4 overall, P3 in Pirelli Junior classification: "Finally, another good result again! Mikkel's fifth place in qualifying was better than we'd expected before the weekend. We were then faced with the enormous task of ensuring that the car ran the distance, as tyres suffer enormously here. Fourth place is a decent result. It's great for the team and us."

Maximilian Buhk (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P5 overall, P4 in Pirelli Trophy classification: "I could have gone quicker, but unfortunately, Timo was too fast on the straights for me to pop out of his slipstream and attack. And as car 47 was already out of the race and we were, of course, intent on winning the team classification, I didn't want to risk losing vital points by trying to force my way past."

Klaus Bachler (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P17 overall: "Adrien made a good start from last place and used his skill to keep out of all the turmoil. He then moved up several places. I was also able to overtake well during my stint. In the end, we went up from P33 to P17, which is pretty good. The most important thing, though, is that the car was very strong, which gives us hope for tomorrow. And then, there will be a new qualifying and a fresh opportunity. Qualifying is extremely important. It can be very tough when you're not one of the ones up front."

Jan-Erik Slooten (IronForce by RING POLICE, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P18 overall, winner of Pirelli Trophy classification: "We're happy. We had a pretty hectic day yesterday with a puncture and blown engine, so we're quite satisfied with today's result. Robert Renauer ran into me during the race but has already apologised, so it's no big deal."

Maximilian Götz (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), DNF: "That was another race outing that we could have done without. We should leave ourselves enough room for racing, but Markus had no chance. However, as our immediate rivals in the title fight didn't score either, we got off lightly. We must now focus fully on events tomorrow."