He may not yet be allowed to drive a car on his own on public roads, but he is regularly to be found at the wheel of a Lamborghini and is one of the top five juniors in the ADAC GT Masters: Hugo Sasse is the youngest driver in the German GT Championship. The 17-year-old rookie discusses the challenges of the racing series, his driving test, and his expectations for the Lausitzring.
When Sasse made his ADAC GT Masters debut in Oschersleben in mid-May, barely a month had passed since his 17th birthday. Whilst the ADAC Stiftung Sport driver was free to take his place at the wheel of the 500-hp Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo for T3 Motorsport, he was not yet permitted to drive on public roads. The reason: he was not yet in possession of a driving licence. That has all changed now: “I passed my driving test at the start of August and, as a 17-year-old, can now drive when accompanied by an adult.”
Young duo in an Italian bull
Having stepped up from ADAC GT4 Germany, he now forms the youngest driver pairing in the ADAC GT Masters alongside 21-year-old Maximilian Paul. They currently lie fifth in the Pirelli Junior competition for young drivers. “I am quite happy with the success we’ve had so far this season,” says Sasse. “I have not made many mistakes and actually got on very well with the car from the word go. I showed with 11th place on the grid at the Red Bull Ring that the potential is definitely there. Unfortunately, we are still lacking a few days of testing compared to the other teams. We received the car very late, which meant we were unable to attend the pre-season test in Oschersleben. As such, it has not been easy, but we have put on a good show so far and have improved consistently.”
The driver from Aschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt is particularly impressed with the strength in depth within the ADAC GT Masters: “The differences are far smaller than in ADAC GT4 Germany. Virtually all your opponents are works drivers. You notice that immediately. The drivers in the ADAC GT Masters simply know what they are doing and are very experienced. You cannot allow any mistakes. It is important to stay calm and focussed at all times, even when things are not going so well. Particularly because you cannot do anything about it. We were quite a long way off the pace on the Friday at the Red Bull Ring, before my qualifying on Saturday morning, because we were on old tyres. In that situation, you cannot get flustered and just have to keep on working hard.”
Sasse and his partner Maximilian Paul do not have any team-mates, with whom to exchange information and ideas. However, Sasse does not necessarily see this as a disadvantage: “We are obviously lacking a bit of experience, but on the other hand the team can focus fully on our car. Plus, we get great support from Lamborghini, who provide us with data.”
Full schedule
Although he must no longer swot for his driving licence, the Sebastian Vettel is still just as busy away from the racetrack: “I am now entering year twelve and am doing my high school exams. It is obviously important to get good grades. At the moment my average is 2.1. I exercise at least three times a week, which is very important in motorsport. I do a lot of sim racing and am in the same team as Mirko Bortolotti. As it is the school holidays at the moment, I am also working on a building site. So, I have a full schedule.”
Confident ahead of the Lausitzring
The next races in the German GT Championship take place in just two weeks: the round at the Lausitzring, which is the home outing for the T3 Motorsport team. Sasse is optimistic. “We have a really good chance. We know the circuit well and are getting along better all the time with the car. We have just had a test day there, which was very positive. We found something on the car, which could really help us in the races there.”