Reactions from the paddock after Sunday’s race in Spielberg.

Marvin Kirchhöfer (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R), 1st place overall: “We laid a good foundation for the start, which is very important here, in qualifying. The race was really demanding for us both. Jeffrey controlled the second half of the race very well. It was not as easy as it looked from the outside. The pace of the first three cars was virtually identical, but we were able to open a lead at the restarts and hold our position. The Corvette runs really well at the Red Bull Ring and we are delighted with the successful weekend.”

Jeffrey Schmidt (Callaway Competition, Corvette C7 GT3-R) 1st place overall: “It is very difficult to win here, we could not afford any mistakes. We gave it our all and are very happy with the win. We did a good job of staying out of the chaos at the start, and then got away well after the restarts. I am already looking forward to Zandvoort.”

Dennis Marschall (Rutronik Racing by TECE, Audi R8 LMS), 2nd place overall and winner in the Pirelli Junior competition: “This morning’s pole position was a big surprise. The team provided us with a really good car. Unfortunately, we fell a few metres behind the Corvette at the start, but we were able to keep pace nicely throughout the race. Unfortunately, the safety car did not help us, as we basically wanted to try to increase the gap to the cars behind us.”

Kim-Luis Schramm (Rutronik Racing by TECE, Audi R8 LMS), 2nd place overall and winner in the Pirelli Junior competition: “The race was not easy. The Lamborghini behind us put us under pressure from the start. However, we were able to keep him at bay. Unfortunately, we did not quite have what it took to attack the Corvette today. The restarts made the race exciting again, but we were able to secure the podium finish.”

Jesse Krohn (Schubert Motorsport, BMW M6 GT3), 3rd place overall: “The start was really chaotic. I tried to look after the tyres and hand the car over to Nick in one piece. We were able to work our way through the field in the race and Nick did a fantastic job.”

Nick Yelloly (Schubert Motorsport, BMW M6 GT3), 3rd place overall: “I knew that I would make it onto the podium if I had the opportunity today. After yesterday’s unfortunate race, I am delighted with today’s result. Jesse successfully made up some positions and we were able to bring the car home in third place after the battle in the closing stages.”

Rolf Ineichen (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), 5th place overall and winner of the Pirelli Trophy competition: “It was a successful weekend for us. We can be happy with seventh place yesterday and fifth today. Franck had a good start and immediately climbed into third place. We did not make any mistakes during the pit stop and came back out in third. I then spent the entire race putting pressure on the Audi in front of me. In the end, the safety car did not play into our hands. We were unable to fend off the strong BMW at the restart. We could do nothing against them, particularly when our tyres cooled down. On the one hand it is a shame that we missed out on the podium, but on the other hand the team did a mega job all weekend. Thank you!”

Maximilian Buhk (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 10th place overall: “It was a tough weekend for us. This morning’s qualifying actually went well, apart from the fact that I did not manage a completely free lap. I got hemmed in at the start and immediately lost a position. After that I struggled white a lot to find a rhythm in the car. The three safety car phases in my stint were also not particularly thrilling, but it was the same for everyone. After the driver changeover, Lello had to cope with degrading tyres, as I did yesterday. As I said – a tough weekend …”

Christian Engelhart (Küs Team Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), 17th place overall: “Today’s race did not go to plan at all. After a very disappointing qualifying, we were quite a long way back on the grid. I then had a good start and climbed five positions. From then, it was a tough battle. There were several crashes and safety car phases. The race never really flowed. At the final restart, the driver behind me got it wrong and spun me. As such, we lost everything we had gained. Thomas then tried to make up some places in his stint. In doing so, he was involved in a collision. Unfortunately, the penalty meant we picked up no points. That was not the weekend we had envisaged. It is now important to stick together as a team, to sit down together and to prepare everything perfectly for the next race, to ensure that we come back stronger.”