Reactions from the paddock after the Sunday race at round four of this season’s German GT Championship.
Igor Waliłko (Team Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 1st overall: “Da This is the best birthday present you could imagine. I don’t know what to say. Jules did a great job. I would also like to thank the team, who worked into the night to repair our car after yesterday’s crash. In my stint, I initially lost a little time. I then tried to maintain my pace and avoid making any mistakes. And that worked. Only during the safety car phase did I briefly start to feel a little nervous. This is my first podium in the ADAC GT Masters and I am overjoyed.”
Jules Gounon (Team Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 1st overall: “The win feels awesome. This morning, we laid an important foundation for the race with pole position. I tried to look after the tyres during my stint and to open a lead ahead of Maro Engel – which I managed to do. Igor then did a really good job and withstood the pressure he came under. It is very nice to see three Mercedes-AMG out in front.”
Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 2nd overall: “We are definitely happy with second place. The plan at the start was to make up one position if possible, and that worked well. Considering the success ballast from yesterday, it was clear that it would be tough to catch Jules. On the whole, it was a very good and problem-free race. We will continue to do our thing and see where finish at the end of the season.”
Luca Stolz (Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 2nd overall: “After the appearance of the safety car, I was able to keep my tyres up to temperature and perhaps even had a brief chance of snatching the win. We then erred on the side of caution and secured second place without taking any risks. We had a very strong car at the Sachsenring in 2020, so we are hoping to finally get our first win of the season there.”
Maximilian Buhk (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf - HTP/WWR, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 3rd overall: “That was a good weekend and we scored a lot of points. I could have gone a little bit faster in my stint, but, given the situation in the table, I did not want to risk doing something stupid – particularly not against my fellow Mercedes drivers. Instead, I actually slowed down a little to look after the tyres for Lello. It will now come down to consistency. Nobody can afford a zero, it is all about picking up points in every race. However, that also means that you have to be fast enough at every circuit to be far towards the front of the field in qualifying. Otherwise you can kiss goodbye to a good haul of points.”
Raffaele Marciello (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf - HTP/WWR, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 3rd overall: “The car was good in the first few laps, but a damper broke towards the end. With this in mind, we can be happy to have made it to the finish. Despite this, I was able to maintain my speed and am happy with the result. We still have three race weekends ahead of us and it is still very exciting. We will do our best at the Sachsenring.”
Joel Eriksson (Küs Team Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), 4th overall: “The weekend got off to a tough start for us, but we finally got a good result today. The day began well, with an impressive qualifying from Julien. That made it much easier for us, particularly as the car was much better. After his strong stint, I took over at the wheel and had to fight pretty hard at first. However, I was able to hold our position. Towards the end, we were actually challenging for the podium. That is more or less like winning for us, after having so many problems at first. We can be proud of our work. I am super happy and looking forward to the Sachsenring.”
Christian Engelhart (Küs Team Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), 15th overall: “Firstly, congratulations to our second car. I think it is very important for the team that we go home with a good result. Unfortunately, things did not work out well for us again. Nobody is happy with the results we are getting at the moment. For this reason, we will have to sit down and fathom why we are not getting the results we are aiming for. Then we will all head to the next races fully motivated again. There are still six races remaining and we have every chance of ending the season on a high.”
Klaus Bachler (Precote Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R), 19th overall: “We have not really had any good fortune this season. We try to get the maximum out of every race, but we are not managing to convert the hard work into a decent points tally. We are now hoping for more luck at the remaining three race weekends.”