Markus Pommer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P1 overall: “A dream start. We were aiming for a place in the Top Five and certainly weren’t expecting to actually win. I had a very good start, but I was unable to get past Patric Niederhauser on the inside. That’s why I held back, because it’s important to reach the end of the race without getting involved in any incidents. The weather towards the end played into our hands. Marvin is very strong in the rain. I have already had wins with Audi and Mercedes-AMG in the ADAC GT Masters, but never in the very first race, as I have now in a Corvette.”
Marvin Kirchhöfer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P1 overall: “I’m very happy. Last year we scored two ducks here at Oschersleben, so with this first race alone, we’ve already done a better job. The race was a bit chaotic. I’m really sorry for the second Corvette which was so well placed before it had a spin. It was a misunderstanding with Sven Barth. I think he wanted to let me past but went a bit too far wide onto the kerbs. With the rain having got heavier at this stage, it was very slippery and he spun. I drove in a wet race at Monza last weekend, so the conditions today didn’t come as a shock to the system. I’m used to the rain. During my time in Formel ADAC, I drove here at Oschersleben in changeable weather and always managed to cope quite well. So in the end, it was a bit easier for me to go on the attack and overtake.”
Patric Niederhauser (HCB-Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: “The race was definitely tough on the nerves. I had a very good start, but unfortunately I was not able to keep up with the pace of the leaders. Instead, I was having to look in my rear mirror. So I quickly realised that I had to avoid making any mistakes and get though the stint OK, because the second half of the race would be crucial. After handing over to Kelvin in fourth place, he did a very good job. Even though we did not have the ultimate pace in the car, we drove an error-free race, and Kelvin was especially brilliant in the changing conditions. Considering we are starting out as a new team in the ADAC GT Masters, this is obviously a terrific result.”
Kelvin van der Linde (HCB-Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: “It was a fantastic race for us. The rain shower towards the end helped us a lot and I felt comfortable in it. Also, we were very effective at pushing in the rain. I am happy to have achieved such a result with a team that is new to the GT Masters. We will definitely be celebrating this evening.”
Christopher Haase (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: “I came out onto the track in seventh position, and initially had had trouble working my way forward. But we then had a lucky break in the form of the short rain shower, because our Audi handles very well under these conditions. So I knew I could attack a bit more than the other drivers out there, and that was ultimately the key to success. The car allowed us to take a bit more of a risk, we had slightly more straight-line speed, and we were able to force our opponents into making mistakes. We hadn’t actually been counting on rain, but knew that it would work to our advantage and were therefore mentally prepared for wet conditions.”
Jeffrey Schmidt (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P3 overall, P1 in the Pirelli Junior class: “In the first stint, I gave it everything I’d got. Of course, starting from seventh puts you in reach of the podium but still not all that close, because it is very difficult to overtake here at Oschersleben. I was able to hand the car over in a decent position, and my team mate Christopher Haase then did a great job in the rain while other drivers were having problems. We partnered each other in 2017 and we’ve been in perfect harmony all weekend, so the result is a nice reward.”
Ricardo Feller (Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P4 overall, P2 in the Pirelli Junior class: “I think it’s been a good start to the season. We went into the race from eighth place, finished fourth and consequently have no additional ballast for tomorrow. I was able to score points in the Pirelli Junior ranking, but at the same time our result means we’ve picked up useful points towards the championship. We can be very satisfied with that. My team-mate Dries Vanthoor certainly didn’t have it easy in the second half of the race. With the onset of rain and the difficult conditions towards the end, I was feeling a lot more nervous watching from the garage than during my own stint in the first half of the race.”
Marvin Dienst (Schütz Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P5 overall, P3 in the Pirelli Junior class: “We cannot be really satisfied with today. We had pole position and held the lead over the first 50 minutes, which showed what the car can do. After a one-year break from the series for Schütz Motorsport and a two-year break for me, it would have been nice to be on the podium, especially the top rung. To have taken the third spot in the Pirelli Junior ranking is a consolation and a memento from Oschersleben, but I had definitely hoped for more.”
Aidan Read (Schütz Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P5 overall, P3 Pirelli Trophy classification: “First off, I’m very pleased and grateful to be competing in the ADAC GT Masters this year. Of course, congratulations are in order to my team-mate Marvin Dienst. He drove a great quali and handed the car over to me in the lead at the half-way stage. I got on very well in the dry, and we definitely had a good chance of finishing first. Unfortunately, things were very tricky in the rain towards the end of the race. I struggled to keep the car on course as a newcomer driving in the wet for the first time, and eventually lost position to the Corvette and the two Audis. There’s still a lot for me to learn, and I’m obviously a bit disappointed not to have nailed down the win, but nevertheless it’s a great result for my first time in the ADAC GT Masters and a good omen for the future.”
Sven Barth (RWT Racing, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P8 overall, P1 Pirelli Trophy classification: “We’re not really happy. David did a great job with fourth place in qualifying, and in the race he was able to comfortably draw away from the rest of the field along with the Schütz Mercedes. Looking back, we ought to have pitted one lap sooner, because Aidan Read in P1 was much slower at the start of his stint. However, fair overtaking is very difficult or even impossible, even with the Corvette, if the guy in front sticks to the racing line. The rest of the leading group was closing in, and Marvin Kirchhöfer was obviously also intent on moving forwards. Following a fair scrap with Marvin in the rain, I had to drive on the wet outside line and spun off – obviously my mistake. Fortunately, the car was still running after the slight rear-end impact. The Schütz Mercedes, which I then found myself following, was losing oil, which made visibility very poor at times, but of course that’s no excuse. Eighth place would have been an excellent result last year, but after David Jahn laid the groundwork in today’s quali, the end result is none too good as far as I’m concerned. Sure, things are looking very positive, but who knows how many times we’ll get the chance to finish on the podium this year.”
Maximilian Götz (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P9 overall: “Too bad that the rain stopped again after only two laps. I love it when conditions are changeable, even if they’re right at the limit. Overall, we can be very satisfied. We really limited the damage by moving up from P23 to P9. The main thing is that we’ve seen we can be extremely competitive when everything goes right. My lap times were fast and consistent. If we do well in tomorrow’s quali, then we can achieve a fair bit even on this track.”
Timo Bernhard (Küs Team75, Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P15 overall: “Qualifying was the problem. It was absolute chaos with three red flags. We didn’t get the makings of one clear lap. Qualifying in no way reflects the car’s potential. And then I got a grid penalty. Apparently, I drove extremely slowly on exiting the pit lane, causing a rear-end shunt. I have to accept that’s what happened, but in my opinion, qualifying on such a short track with 31 cars is not really feasible. From P22 on the grid, it wasn’t possible to score more than this single point. Still, the performance is there – in the car, in the drivers, in the whole team. Today was not our day, but we’ll do better tomorrow.”
Fabian Vettel (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P26 overall, P11 Pirelli Junior classification: “I’m still very annoyed about the mistake I made. Of course, everyone goes to the limit where pit stop times are concerned in this highly competitive field. Nevertheless, I should have been a little less aggressive when exiting the pits. Apart from that, I’m quite satisfied with my first race in the ADAC GT Masters. It took a few laps to find my rhythm on used tyres, but things went quite well after that. I’ll just have to put the mistake behind me, move on and get ready for tomorrow when, hopefully, I can lay the foundations for a better result with a good qualifying session.”