Reactions from the paddock after Sunday’s race in the German GT Championship in the Netherlands.
Mattia Drudi, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #33: “The good start was the key to our success today. I was able to overtake two cars in front of me, which put me in second place. After that, I tried to push. However, I did not want to put too much strain on the tyres, which still had a low pressure at the start. Thierry did a great job in his stint. Only towards the end did I get nervous, because more and more cars were having issues. Only when Thierry crossed the finish line was I able to relax.”
Thierry Vermeulen, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #33: “Mattia handed the car over to me in second place and I wanted to drive steadily, in order to maintain that position. After that, I looked after the tyre and stayed clear of trouble. That allowed me to maintain the gap through to the finish. I am very happy with my first podium in the German GT Championship.”
Franck Perera, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #19: “We were a little fortunate in the end, because the Porsche in front of us stopped shortly before the finish. However, that is motor racing, and we are pleased with third place. There is still a long way to go in the championship, and we will continue to work hard to be even faster at the next round at the Nürburgring.”
Arthur Rougier, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #19: “On the final lap, I asked the team what was wrong with the Porsche in front of me, which had been incredibly fast up to that point but was suddenly going slower. Like many other cars, I then overtook him to take third place. After the disappointing qualifying on Saturday, today was much better and we had a good pace, although we were obviously also a little lucky at the end.”
Fabian Schiller, Drago Racing Team ZVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #4: “My race was actually relatively relaxed. A few cars ahead of me had issues with the tyres. Fortunately, we did not, which allowed us to make progress through the field. We at least picked up some points after a tough weekend. I hope we find our way again quickly and are able to challenge at the front again.”
Ayhancan Güven, Team Joos Sportwagentechnik, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “That is bitterly disappointing. Particularly as it happened on the final lap, just before the finish, and we would have been on the podium. Christian was no longer able to change gear. In the end, I am happy that he could get the car through to the finish and at least pick up a few points.”
Frank Bird, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #84: “We started from 18th place and finished ninth. That is quite okay, and I am happy with the way things developed. Our pace was good, and I hope we can back that up at the Nürburgring.”
Niklas Krütten, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #10: “I tried to get off to a good start and was immediately able to overtake Juncadella. In front of me was Maxi Götz, and I managed to close in on him. However, overtaking is very difficult here in Zandvoort. We then decided to try an overcut when the first pit stops started. I drove fast laps and was able to open a small gap, which was sufficient to come out in front of Götz after our stop. At the end of the race, we benefitted from penalties and technical issues affecting our rivals and finished eleventh to pick up points. That was important for the championship.”
Markus Winkelhock, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #69: “Unfortunately, the race did not go as well as hoped. Fifth place was a good starting position, and I was able to maintain that position through to the pit stop. Then we were unfortunately given a penalty because we did not comply with the minimum pit time. We then had a contact with a Mercedes, after which the race was over for us. But that is racing.“
Jesse Krohn, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #20: “After the good weekend at the Red Bull Ring, we came to Zandvoort full of hope. We could not imagine any reason why it should not continue that way. But then everything changed and absolutely nothing went right. It began with the rain in the first qualifying session, and we also realised that we did not have the necessary pace. The others were too strong for us in Zandvoort. We must now shake this off and come back stronger.”
Christian Land, team manager Montaplast by Land-Motorsport: “We noticed when we were warming the engine up that something was not right. The Audi engineers came over and we decided to replace the RPM sensor on the grid. Everything was very hot and we struggled to get to the sensor. We were able to loosen the screws, but unfortunately not replace the sensor. As such, the race was over for us.”
