Jules Gounon, the 2017 ADAC GT Masters champion, returned to the German GT Championship this year with the Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing team. Three races into the season, the Mercedes-AMG works driver looks back on the year so far and reveals his goals for the remaining races.
How would you sum up the first three race weekends of your comeback season? Gounon: “Mixed. We have started well in the first few races, but have also suffered set-backs. The season-opener in Oschersleben is a good example. We started fourth on Saturday, and only dropped out of the podium positions in the final few minutes. On the Sunday, we struggled with traffic in qualifying and had to start from well down the grid. That made it tough to climb to the front of the field.”
Did you immediately feel at home again in the ADAC GT Masters, or did it take a while to find your feet again? “Yes, it really felt like I was coming home. When I drove to Oschersleben, I immediately recognised the road to the hotel. It was as though I had not been away for the last four years. I met a lot of familiar faces at the racetrack. It made you feel quite nostalgic. However, I do miss the fans. The grid walk and spectators in the paddock were always something rather special in the ADAC GT Masters. It was always great fun to see and meet all those people. I hope that will be possible again soon.”
Has the ADAC GT Masters changed since 2017? “The only change I have noticed is the Penalty Lap, which I believe is a very good idea. The standard in the ADAC GT Masters is still very high, with one of the strongest fields in the world in a GT3 sprint championship. It is great to be involved again.”
With Zakspeed, you are driving for one of the most successful and experienced teams in Germany. How is that noticeable? “You immediately notice that Zakspeed is an iconic team. The name and the history are known all over the world. What impresses me is the passion shown by Peter and Philipp Zakowski. They work very hard to achieve good results. And we are very, very close to getting some fantastic results. We will continue to do everything we can to live up to the Zakspeed name and achieve results that we can be proud of.”
You are a Mercedes-AMG works driver. Does this mean you see yourself as something of a team leader at Zakspeed? “As a works driver, you are there to help the team to get the best out of the car. However, I am new to Mercedes-AMG and still learning the car. Up until last year, I was driving for Bentley. The cars are very different. It is a big change for me, but I am improving all the time. I am trying to bring my experience into play in the team, to help my team-mates, and to give them as much advice as possible – even though I am still learning myself.”
How do you rate your team-mate Igor Walilko? “Igor has done a very good job from the outset. He is classified as a Silver driver and does not yet have a lot of experience. Fourth place in his very first qualifying in Oschersleben was sensational. He was a little off the pace in the next two qualifying sessions, but really not by much. He is still very young, is very talented, and is constantly developing throughout the season. I hope we will be challenging at the very front of the field by the end of the season.”
How would you compare your role today with your two seasons at Callaway Competition, where you were the young, inexperienced driver? My role at Callaway was a totally different one. Back then, I had absolutely no experience of GT3 racing. I turned up at the races and did my best. I looked at the data and tried to get my lap times as close as possible to those of my team-mate at the time, Daniel Keilwitz. My role now is completely different to four years ago. My team-mates are now looking to me. However, I am enjoying this role – even if it is more difficult than my role back then. At Callaway, I did not have so many things to focus on as a young driver.”
Callaway played an important role in your career in 2016/17 and helped you on your road to becoming a works driver. How does it feel to be racing against that team? “Without Callaway, I definitely would not be where I am today. I am now in my fourth year as a works driver, first for Bentley and now with Mercedes-AMG. As such, it feels a little bit strange to be racing against them. It is thanks to Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone that I was given an opportunity to race on the GT3 scene. I learned an awful lot from people like Mike Gramke and Florian Möhring. I am very grateful to the whole team for their sacrifices and help. We chat to each other on the grid before every race and are still very good friends.”
What are your goals for the coming races? “The main goal is to improve in qualifying. We are already doing well, but not well enough. We have room for improvement, then Igor and I will be able to achieve some really good results. We want to finish on the podium. Maybe we might even snatch a win. You never know what will happen, but we definitely want to improve and continue to work hard. If we do that, the results will come.”
Which weekend are you most looking forward to? “I look forward to every weekend. However, racing at the Sachsenring is always a highlight for me. The last time I drove there was four years ago, as the ADAC GT Masters is the only GT3 series that races there. It is great to be returning now. I won my first race in the ADAC GT Masters at the Sachsenring in 2016. I was overweight and wearing an old racing overall and old shoes. Nobody knew who I was back then. It was also the maiden victory for the Corvette C7 GT3-R and Giovanni’s birthday. A few tears were shed. Those are very special memories.”