Some racing drivers have a lucky charm, others have a certain ritual they have to perform before a race. The drivers in the German GT Championship are rather rational in the way they go about their work. Most prepare for their races with some loosening-up and reactions workouts, or simply by relaxing. However, there are a few exceptions.

Like many of his fellow drivers, Jan Marschalkowski does warm-up exercises before qualifying and the race, and even whilst still on the grid. Once in his car, the 19-year-old will not set off until he has clapped his hands together once. “I don’t know why I do it. I sit in the cockpit, the formation lap is about to start, and I clap my hands once. Only then will I set off,” says the Mercedes-AMG Team ZVO driver. Mick Wishofer also has a special ritual in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo. “I don’t put my gloves on until I am in the car. First the right glove, then the left. If I didn’t do it like that, then I would subconsciously have a strange feeling that everything is not quite as it should be,” reveals the driver from the Emil Frey Racing team.

Niklas Krütten has a different recipe: he ignores the stress. The BMW driver from Schubert Motorsport: “I don’t talk about the race at all in the immediate run-up to it. Instead, I talk about all kinds of other things, like the weather, and that helps me relax at the wheel.” Lambo driver Maximilian Paul from Paul Motorsport takes a similar approach. He talks a lot: “When I am chatting, I am relaxed.” In contrast, Christian Engelhart’s approach is more analytical. After stretching and warm-up exercises, he discusses the final set-up of the Porsche 911 GT3 R with his engineers. “The engineer has the final say, then I switch off and relax,” says the Team Joos Sportwagentechnik driver.

Raffaele Marciello has always entered his car from the same time throughout his time in Formula racing. “When I was still driving in Formula 3 and Formula 1, I always climbed into my car from the left. I have no choice but to do the same in the ADAC GT Masters,” says the championship leader from Mann-Filter Team Landgraf. “Chill out and not get too wound up,” is Christopher Haase’s maxim. His young team-mate at Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Salman Owega, has a similar motto: “Always keep a cool head.”