Bortolotti will line up again this year in a Huracán GT3 for Austrian team, GRT Grasser, with whom he took one win and two pole positions in 2017. "I was satisfied with our performance last year," says the former FIA Formula 2 champion. "The goal was to support my team-mate Ezequiel Perez Companc as much as possible, because it was his first year in the ADAC GT Masters. That went very well. You could see him making good progress during the season. We were a bit unlucky with the results, especially at Zandvoort, where I secured pole position by breaking the lap record. When it came to the races, though, we retired once while in second place and once when in the lead. That cost us a lot of points."

The 28-year-old Italian will line up in the ADAC GT Masters for the first time with fellow Italian Andrea Caldarelli as team-mate in 2018. Caldarelli has contested a number of series in recent years and even fought for the Japanese Super GT Championship title. "I've known Andrea for many years," says Bortolotti. "We used to share a car in another series in 2017. He's very fast." So, the Lamborghini works driver is confident about the season: "I'm extremely pleased to be back in the ADAC GT Masters. We've got high hopes and expectations and are working hard to fulfil them. I think we're really well prepared. We intend to compete up front and fight for the title in the ideal scenario."

He faces fierce competition: "There are many contenders for the title, but it's too early at this stage to say exactly who'll be in the lead, but I never worry about the others. We have to be totally focused on ourselves and go for the max - that's what counts in the end."

Bortolotti has been impressed by the progress the ADAC GT Masters has made in recent years: "The quality is extremely high, and the series has got stronger and stronger just recently. The number of entrants has increased along with the quality this year. There'll be plenty of action with around 35 cars. The fans will have plenty of scraps and a highly competitive field to look forward to. There are a lot of manufacturers who could win, which is what makes GT racing so interesting."

The Viennese driver also really likes the varied calendar: "It's a good mix of racetracks with slow, intermediate and fast circuits. Personally, I'm a big fan of old-school tracks like Zandvoort, which is a circuit I really like. Of course, the Red Bull Ring is great for us too. It's just a few kilometres away from team headquarters. We're all really looking forward to it. The Sachsenring is also quite special as far as I'm concerned. It's where I drove my first GT race in the Schubert-BMW in 2012 and finished third."