Ezequiel Perez Companc (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P1 overall and winner in the Pirelli Junior class: “I am very happy about this victory. The race was very tough, as our pursuers put us under constant pressure. The fans saw a lot of wheel-to-wheel action today. I had a good stint, after which Marco brought the victory home in an assured manner despite pressure from behind. The collision with Mirko was unfortunate and is something that should not happen between team-mates. We will sort this out within the team.”
Marco Mapelli (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P1 overall and winner in the Pirelli Junior class: “The team did a great job and gave us a great car. We were already very fast in qualifying, and we succeeded in maintaining that pace in the race, even though we had to watch our tyres carefully towards the end. I’m feeling very happy.”
Sheldon van der Linde (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall and runner-up in the Pirelli Junior class: “My start was OK. I was fast and always right behind Jake Dennis. The only problem was that overtaking is difficult here. We then got past them at the pit stop. We eventually finished second and scored some useful points.”
Kelvin van der Linde (Montaplast by Land Motorsports, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall and runner-up in the Pirelli Junior class: “It was a pretty exciting race. Ultimately, it all came down to the pit stops. Our team-mates opted for a late stop and we went for an early one. Initially, I thought it might be a mistake to follow the Lamborghini into the pits, but our team-mates then got stuck in traffic, and we were able to gain that one position. I tried to chase down the leading Lamborghini, but I wasn’t fast enough. All the same, I am really happy with the podium and the progress we have made.”
Christopher Mies (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P3 overall: “Third place is light at the end of the tunnel and a great boost for the team. We had the pace to finish right at the front, but Jake was held up on his in-lap and lost four seconds, which was a bit frustrating. But that’s the risk you take if you stay out longer. All things considered, I’m happy – we have at long last got a podium in the ADAC GT Masters.”
Jake Dennis (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P3 overall: “Third place is always a good result, but I feel we could have got more today. We stayed out longer at the pit stop because, while I had a clear run, I was very fast. But then a Phoenix Audi came out of the pit lane right in front of me, and I lost four seconds on my in-lap. After that, I knew that we had no chance of winning and that we had lost second place. We gave it everything we’d got, but it wasn’t quite enough. But anyway, I’m happy for the team; second and third is a great result.”
Markus Winkelhock (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P4 overall and third in the Pirelli Junior class: “Early on, I had a close-fought encounter with the Audi driven by Philip Ellis. Once I’d got past him, I was much faster than the group behind me and I managed to open up a gap. Because the distance to the leading group had already grown quite large, I was driving pretty much on my own for 20 to 25 minutes without seeing another car. So in terms of battling for position, it was actually a bit boring. But fourth place is obviously a good result.”
Mike David Ortmann (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P4 overall and third in the Pirelli Junior class: “I think the foundations for this result were definitely laid in qualifying. I put in a really superb lap. Everything was just right at the time. The car was great, and the race was good too. At the start, I gained a position due to the collision between the Lamborghinis. Unfortunately, I was unable to keep up with the cars ahead of me, but it’s still a great result, and we’re definitely celebrating today.”
Rolf Ineichen (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P9 overall and winner in the Pirelli Trophy class: “It’s been a great weekend so far. Qualifying was pretty good, even though I had some bad luck with the red flag towards the end. I did well at the start and was tenth when I pitted. Christian was involved in plenty of scraps out there, but it wasn’t possible to do better than P9 in the end.”
Christian Engelhart (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3), P9 overall and winner in the Pirelli Trophy class: “We had a good position on the grid after qualifying. It was certainly Rolf’s best quali of the year. The start was pretty chaotic. Rolf moved up a few places and handed the car over in tenth place. My stint was one long battle. There was a huge group of drivers from P5 downwards. I eventually finished ninth.”
Maximilian Buhk (HTP Motorsport Mann-Filter Team, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P26 overall and P14 in the Pirelli Junior class: “The Audi was holding up a whole convoy of cars, and I was coming under a lot of pressure from behind. So I wanted to overtake as soon as possible, but had to make my move in the infield, because the Audi was too fast on the straights. Unfortunately, the attack didn’t work, and I went into a spin. I feel sorry for Indy and the team, who had been doing a great job up until then, but I had to try. It’s a shame, because the car was really fast in the race.”
Timo Bernhard (KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), DNF: “Qualifying tenth was OK. The first lap of the race was good too, as I moved up into P7. On the restart, Mikkel Jensen in the Schnitzer BMW drove into my front wheel and took out the driver in front of us as well. That ended my race, because the rim was bust and the tyre flat, which was very disappointing. He came later to say sorry, which was good of him but doesn’t get me back in the race. A finish in the Top Five might have been possible. We could definitely have hung on to P7. The car felt good. We must now focus on tomorrow.”