Audi driver Ricardo Feller left it until the final few seconds to secure pole position for Saturday’s race in the German GT Championship in Zandvoort.

Up until shortly before the end of the 20-minute session, it looked as though Lamborghini works driver Mirko Bortolotti had done enough to claim his second pole of the season. However, when qualifying resumed after a late red flag, Feller, who lines up alongside former champion Christopher Mies in an R8 LMS, timed his run perfectly to set the fastest time at the remodelled circuit in the North Sea dunes. His lap time of 1:33.043 was 0.150 seconds faster than that of Bortolotti. Qualifying was then brought to a premature end after a crash involving Porsche driver Maximilian Hackländer with 1.22 minutes of the session remaining.

“A mega qualifying,” said Feller after winning his first Pirelli Pole Position Award, for which he received a pair of exclusive headphones from Pirelli. “The car was superb and the tactic, to head out really late, totally paid off. I had a perfect, free lap. I am really looking forward to the race. Zandvoort is my favourite circuit on the ADAC GT Masters calendar. I want to add a second victory to the one a had here in 2019.”

Behind the second-placed pairing of Bortolotti/Albert Costa Balboa (GRT Grasser Racing Team), who are also second in the championship, came Maro Engel and Luca Stolz in the Toksport WRT Mercedes-AMG in third place. Engel’s fastest lap stopped the clock at 1:33.222 minutes.

Fourth place went to the Precote Herberth Motorsport duo of Sven Müller/Robert Renauer in the best-placed Porsche 911 GT3 R. As such, four different manufacturers will occupy the first four positions on the grid when Saturday’s race gets underway at 16:30. Rounding off the top five were Belgians Charles Weerts/Dries Vanthoor in the Team WRT Audi.

Championship leaders Mathieu Jaminet and Michael Ammermüller were ninth fastest in the SSR Porsche.