... his series debut: "My very first race weekend in the ADAC GT Masters was in 2008 at Oschersleben driving a Lamborghini Gallardo fielded by Argo Racing. I was sharing a cockpit with Frank Schmickler. He was one of motor racing’s big names for me as a youngster, because he had already driven alongside my father in the DTM. And now here we were, sharing a cockpit. It was my first race in a GT car – up to then I had only competed in cars with front-wheel drive. That’s why I was slightly in awe at first. But the weekend went well, and we finished fifth on Saturday and seventh on Sunday."

... the first victory: "After competing in the Porsche Cup in 2009, I returned to the ADAC GT Masters the following year with A-Workx / Wieth Racing and Niclas Kentenich as co-driver. We had no idea where we would rank beforehand. But in the first qualifying session, we were third and then went on to win the race. That was a cool number."

... his most satisfying race: "Our victory on the Sunday at Spa in 2015 was definitely a standout race. Luca Ludwig and I had topped the table since the season opener at Oschersleben and had consistently finished on the podium, but we hadn’t won one race up to that point. The fact that the win eventually came on the magnificent circuit at Spa – and in the rain as well – was just fabulous. It was also a maiden ADAC GT Masters for Zakspeed. The logjam had been broken, and the pressure was off. The victory therefore laid the foundations for our subsequent title win. But there have been many more really good races. Another highlight was certainly the Saturday race at Zandvoort that same year. On the way to the starting grid, I noticed that there was a problem with the drive shaft. That should have been the end of it for us, because changing a drive shaft usually takes 40 minutes. But the mechanics did a sensational job and fitted a new one in just 20 minutes. Even the guys from AMG didn’t think this was possible. The fact that we went on to secure our third win of the season was sensational and a well-deserved reward for the team."

... his bitterest disappointment: "That has to be the Saturday race on the final weekend of the 2015 season at Hockenheim. Luca and I arrived there leading the championship. In the first race, I was unfortunately involved in a collision with the Porsche of Christian Engelhart who was partnering our main rival for the title, Klaus Bachler. I had already had problems with the brakes at Turn 2 on the first lap and hit the Porsche, which resulted in both of us having to retire. That sort of thing shouldn’t be happening. It’s moments like this where you want the ground to swallow you up and to undo what’s been done. But then you just have to get over it."

... his most exciting race: "The final race of the 2012 season at Hockenheim was a real nail biter. Maxi Götz and I had gone out of Saturday’s race with a puncture, and that would have been the end of our title challenge if our main opponents in the Porsche hadn’t also had a puncture. On Sunday, we were in the lead, which wouldn’t have been enough on its own. But our rivals were handed a drive-through penalty in the closing stage of the race after nudging another car while overtaking. So it was, that we secured the title with our first win of the season."

... the funniest race: "There’s a funny anecdote from the 2010 season. I was running second or third in the Porsche and fighting for position with Albert von Thurn und Taxis. He then overtook me and was so happy that he was yelling in the car and waving his fist out of the window. But at that very moment, he misbraked and I pulled past again. That was an amusing moment."

... his favourite car: "The Mercedes-AMG SLS GT3 obviously has a very special place in my heart. I’ve had many successes with it, including the two title wins in 2012 and 2015. But the Ferrari 488 GT3, which I’m driving now, is also a great car. From an emotional perspective, a Ferrari is always special. Every racing driver dreams of driving a Ferrari. I’m a big fan of Italy, so it’s something quite amazing for me to be driving the 488 now. When we were testing at Monza and we went into a trattoria for lunch wearing Ferrari blazers, the people there went completely crazy. The pizza chef came out and raved about Ferrari and got quite theatrical. There’s nothing quite like that here, but the Italians have a very different relationship to the car. Our objective is to be out in front with the Ferrari. It’s high time we got back on the podium."