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

Dries Vanthoor (Team WRT, Audi R8 LMS), 1st overall: “At the start of the race, I was a little worried about the dark clouds, but it stayed dry. The new tyres helped us, even though the circuit was really dirty. The Audi runs really well here and we were easily able to manage our lead in the race. Charles did a super job at the end and wrapped up the victory nicely.”

Charles Weerts (Team WRT, Audi R8 LMS), 1st overall, winner Pirelli Junior competition: “I really like the circuit here in Zandvoort and it is nice to have won here. The whole weekend has been very good for us, with fifth place on Saturday, followed by pole and the win today. Dries put us in a great position with pole position and his impressive stint. The safety car made it interesting again in the second half of the race, but after that I was still able to open up a nice lead.”

Raffaele Marciello (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 2nd overall: “We had a good start and were immediately able to overtake the Lamborghini. It was not easy to follow Dries today, but we are pleased with the second place and the points for the team. The circuit was a little dirty and slippery today.”

Maximilian Buhk (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 2nd overall: “Unfortunately, we lost some time during the pit stop today. When we came out behind the Lamborghini, I knew that I had to get past it quickly on the warmer tyres. I then wanted to keep the pressure on the leading Audi, whilst at the same time keeping an eye on my tyres, which are always really put under a lot of strain on the aggressive asphalt here in Zandvoort. In then slipped up whilst trying to catch the leader, after which I decided to focus on securing the podium finish. I did not come under any real pressure from behind. We are very pleased with this nice result, which also puts us back in a very good position in the title race.”

Franck Perera (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), 3rd overall: “That was an important weekend for us. We were able to show that we are competitive. The race was not easy, but we did a good job. In my stint, I tried to keep my rhythm and look after the car. The Lambo was fantastic today.”

Rolf Ineichen (GRT Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo), 3rd overall, winner Pirelli Trophy: “It was very important for me to finish on the podium,” said Ineichen. “Franck did a fantastic job and handed the car over to me in a good position. The Corvette behind me was close for a while at the start of my stint, but I was then able to shake him off and open up a gap.”

Dylan Pereira (Küs Team Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), 12th overall, 7th Pirelli Junior competition: “The start was very good. I climbed from 25th to 19th and am very happy with that. After that, I was able to keep pace with the cars in front, but overtaking is notoriously difficult here in Zandvoort. We did manage to make up a few positions during the pit stop. Jannis did a good job of defending his position in his stint, and mistakes made by the opposition allowed us to climb further up the field. We were the best-placed Porsche in twelfth. I don’t think we could have expected much more.”

Thomas Preining (Küs Team Bernhard, Porsche 911 GT3 R), DNF: “That was obviously not an ideal race. The start and the opening lap were good – we were in the points and looked like staying there for a long time. Then we had a slight technical issue, which forced us out of the race. We must shake that off and hope that we have left the bad luck here. We will push hard again at the Nürburgring.”