Michael Ammermüller (SSR Performance, Porsche 911 GT3 R), P1 overall: „The decisive moment for us came with Christian’s overtaking manoeuvre against the car that had been leading up to that point. My job then was to manage our lead and not to make any mistakes. Right up until the end of the race, I was driving at the limit, but always making sure I didn’t stress the car too much.“
Christian Engelhart (SSR Performance, Porsche 911 GT3 R) P1 overall: „After a difficult start to the race, it was then important not to make any mistakes. Unfortunately, the interruption to the proceedings came at a time when we were just getting into our rhythm. At the restart, I was able to keep up with Dennis [Marschall] and make direct use of his slipstream. The overtaking move was a key moment, followed by a concerted effort to pull out a small but sufficient gap. The traffic on the track then more or less dictated the time of our pit stop, but ultimately we lost hardly any time and were able to bring home the win.“
Patric Niederhauser (Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: „We’re quite content with second place and with the fact that we once again managed to score vital championship points. The start was problematic; I was initially sandwiched between two Porsches, which tend to be very fast here at Hockenheim, especially on the straights. Despite that, I was able to defend fourth place and hand over to Kelvin in that position. Starting from pole is obviously a great help in winning a race. We will do our best tomorrow in qualifying and try to maximise our chances for victory with a good grid position.“
Kelvin van der Linde (Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS), P2 overall: „Driving here at Hockenheim is always most enjoyable! The Audi R8 LMS is strong on the brakes, so we were able to make use of some good overtaking opportunities during the race. Still, the car wasn’t perfect. Like some of our opponents, we had a few problems with balance and can see that there’s room for improvement for tomorrow in that respect. Obviously, we’re not about to give up when it comes to fighting for the championship. After finishing second today, it’s nice to be back in contention for the title.“
Tim Zimmermann (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P3 overall, winner in Pirelli Junior class: „After problems in pre-event testing and again on Friday, we didn’t think it would go so well today. As you can imagine, I’m mega happy. The team did a great job. After making a good start, which gained us a couple of positions, things went really well during the race too. In the second stint, Steijn [Schothorst] was able to work his way a couple of places up through the field and secure third place. Winning the Pirelli Junior classification is definitely a nice bonus for me.“
Steijn Schothorst (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), P3 overall: „Tim Zimmermann’s terrific start put us in a great position. I took the car over in seventh place at the half-way stage and was then able to gain more ground. Our Lamborghini was really great to drive, as we’ve done bit of work on setup during these past few days, and to our delight, we were able to turn that into a decent result. After experiencing a tough start to the season, we really deserve this podium.“
Simona De Silvestro (Küs Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R) P4 overall: „We had a positive race. Klaus started from P7 and then handed the car over to me in fifth place. We had a decent pit stop and the car felt pretty good too. I was able to maintain a fair pace, which I see as positive. We didn’t have any problems with tyre wear today either. I overtook a couple of cars, so I’m quite happy. What’s more, I’m becoming more accustomed to driving in GT3, as my times show. We’re heading in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.“
Raffaele Marciello (Knaus-Team HTP-Winward, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), P6 overall: „I had caught up with the group in front of me after the round of pit stops and then used every chance I could to gain position in the traffic. We weren’t fast enough for a place up front today but made the best of things with a P6 finish.“
Indy Dontje, Mann-Filter-Team HTP-Winward, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), P9 overall: „Moving up from P18 to 9 is really good in this top-class field,“ said Dontje. „We’re not too far behind the front-runners, at least, not in the race. The start was a bit chaotic. I lost several positions to begin with and then reclaimed them. On the restart, I was able to promptly attack and gain a few places, which was fun!“
Elia Erhart (EFP Car Collection by Tece, Audi R8 LMS), winner in Pirelli Trophy class: „Obviously, I’m delighted to have won the Pirelli Trophy classification, but it was a tough race. I got away well off the line and moved up a few places. In Turn 2, I built up a lot of momentum for the Parabolika, but then the Porsche in front of me suddenly braked and I hit it, which must have cost us five or six positions. After that, we couldn’t get the car to function properly and had very little grip. We’ll have to get that sorted for tomorrow.“