ADAC GT Masters·19.5.2019

Comments after the second race in Most 2019: Observations from the paddock after Sunday's race

Marvin Kirchhöfer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P1 overall: "The start was crucial to the race, because the Lamborghini is very fast over the second and final sector of the track. There's not a lot we could have done there. I got off to a good start and made use of the slipstream on the side to overtake Franck Perera. It wasn't at all easy to keep him behind me after that. I had to push hard, especially with him being so fast in that final sector. We had a good pit stop today after making a mistake yesterday. Markus then maintained our lead through to the finish."

Markus Pommer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P1 overall: "After a lot of bad luck yesterday, everything went according to plan today. Qualifying went well for us, and that was the basis for our victory. Marvin took the lead right at the start. Then, with the race interruption, the situation became very tense again, as our advantage was gone. But we had a good strategy, and I went out onto the track leading by a big margin. After that, I was able to comfortably bring the victory home."

Rolf Ineichen (Orange1 by GRT Grasser, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P2 overall, winner in the Trophy class: "We were in second place, and the Corvette kept closing on us with every lap, so it was tough, of course, because the Corvettes are known to be very strong on the straights. At the end of the race, there was another problem with some oil on the track. Unfortunately, no one was able to tell me straightaway on the pit radio where exactly it was slippery and where I had to be careful. That cost us a lot of time. In the end, we were able to secure the result at the finish, which obviously makes us very happy. We had a great car. Franck [Perera] definitely laid the basis for today's podium with an amazing lap in qualifying."

Franck Perera (Orange1 by GRT Grasser, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P2 overall, winner in the Trophy class: "We knew before the start that we would have to floor the accelerator to hold our position. However, the Corvette was too fast for us and overtook me halfway down the straight. At the first corner, I caught a glancing blow and had to take evasive action by going over the kerbs. It was by no means easy for us, but I did manage to set the fastest race lap with a really great car and handed the Lambo over to Rolf in a good position without ruining the tyres. Rolf was then able to bring the result safely home, which of course is a great achievement for the whole team. It gave us the podium and we scored some useful points."

David Jahn (RWT Racing, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P3 overall: "My start was actually quite good and I made the first corner - but suddenly the car got hit quite hard by an Audi, I think. I was hoping that nothing had got bent. I lost a couple of places and caught another impact to the rear on the left a little later. I was sideways across the track. It was absolutely chaotic for a short while, but then things calmed down a bit. I'm really sorry about the incident with Thomas Preining. I tried to get past a couple of times, and he defended hard. I wasn't trying to barge my way through and got next to him a couple of times without forcing the issue. At the point where the incident happened, I had already made a move twice before, so he knew I was there. I then misbraked on my lap, and he veered a bit to the right, unfortunately. I was completely on the kerbs and had nowhere else to go. Sadly, he spun off. That was really not my intention. We know each other well. We think a lot of one another and go racing together. We've always had a great deal of respect for one another and still have. We need to talk it through again when things have calmed down."

Sven Barth (RWT Racing, Corvette C7 GT3-R), P3 overall, P2 in Pirelli Trophy class: "David gave me a brilliant car at the handover. I was faster than the BMW but was simply stuck behind him. I quickly caught up with the Lamborghini when he fell back. Rolf Ineichen then did a good job. He gave me no chance to get by."

Mike David Ortmann (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS) P5 overall, winner in Pirelli Junior class: "The race went pretty well for us. We made good progress at the start and then gained a few places with some overtaking moves. I drove a faultless race, pulled off a nice passing manoeuvre in Turn 1 and ultimately finished as the best-placed Junior. We've scored some useful points today, I think, and I'm obviously delighted to have won the Pirelli Junior class. The season can definitely continue like this, as far as I'm concerned."

Maximilian Götz (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P6 overall: "The weekend didn't quite go as we thought it would. Neither Indy nor I did a perfect job in our qualifying sessions, and they are key in this highly competitive field. Our race pace was very good, so it has to be our objective to start from further up the grid in future races. But despite that, we scored good points for the championship for the fourth time in the fourth race. Hi from the squirrel..."

Fabian Vettel (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P7 overall, P2 in the Pirelli Junior class: "Philip [Ellis] did a terrific job during his stint, was able to hold our position initially and even improve it thanks to all the argy-bargy up front. We kept out of it all as best we could, because after the first weekend in Oschersleben when everything went wrong, we just wanted to finish and collect some points. I found my rhythm soon after taking over and was able to have a good race. All in all, I feel extremely positive about things especially after the disappointing weekend at Oschersleben."

Philip Ellis (Mann-Filter Team HTP, Mercedes-AMG GT3), P7 overall: "We're fast in the races but struggle to overtake. We can keep up with the train of cars and can often even go faster but just can't get past, so we have to start from up front. Grid slot seven was good today, although my qualifying lap was not perfect. I approached the race real easy, tried to stay out of the jockeying for position and take care of the tyres. Unfortunately, we got caught up in a small traffic jam at the entrance to the pits as we were coming in for our mandatory stop. That cost us at least one position. Fabi secured seventh overall and P2 in the Junior classification. Our first result in the Top Ten. The car was good, our race pace too - so we can be optimistic about the future."

Jeffrey Schmidt (BWT Mücke Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS), P9 overall, P3 in the Pirelli Junior class: "The race was full of action. Our qualifying did not go at all according to plan. It's a long way to the front from 20th on the grid. We were able to fight our way forward well, and our determination paid off. It's all very well getting up there on the Junior podium but of course, we want to be on the overall podium. Unfortunately, more was not possible today, so now we'll just have to look ahead to the future."