Reactions from the paddock after the Sunday race in the German GT Championship at the Nürburgring.
Maro Engel, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #48 “I actually claimed my first pole position in the ADAC GT Masters this morning. The car was superb to drive all weekend. The balance was very good again in the first stint of the race. Jules put me under pressure, but I was able to open a small gap. Unfortunately, there was then traffic on my in-lap and the lead disappeared. I am pleased for my fellow Mercedes drivers Fabian and Jules, who took the win.”
Raffaele Marciello, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #48 “We can be very happy with this weekend. Maro did a great job, the car was very good and we scored a lot of points. It is very hectic in the garage. You have to take care of a lot of things and always keep your eye on the time. The penalty was a bit odd, it depends how you interpret things. However, it is what it is, and my goal remains to win the championship in the ADAC GT Masters.”
Sven Müller, Allied-Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #22 “We were not really able to get the best out of the tyres in qualifying, but they were much better in the race. Our pace was very good. I was able to climb from twelfth to fifth at the very start of the race. There were two or three openings, one or two people spun, and I was able to make it through without any contact, which is not all that easy in such a strong field. After our early pit stop, we had a clear track and even gained a position thanks to a penalty handed to another driver in front of us. It is obviously mega to have two podium finishes this weekend.”
Joel Sturm, Allied-Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #22 “It was pretty tough for me starting from the back, as the tyres were put under a lot of strain. It was all about managing them well and securing third place. In the end, it all worked out well and I am very happy with the weekend.”
Maximilian Götz, Madpanda Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #90 “I am totally happy to have come through from 14th to finish fifth. My start was very good and I gained a few positions on the opening lap. I benefitted from the fact that I have done a lot of racing at the Nürburgring and have gained a wealth of experience. After the difficult race on Saturday, we had good pace, particularly in the first part of the race. We must work out exactly why that was. The whole team did a great job, worked hard and fully deserved this success.”
Mick Wishofer, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #14 “It was a bit chaotic at the start, but the races are like that sometimes and it makes it exciting for the spectators. We lost out a little, but fought our way back. The car worked well, and the team and Lambo did a great job. The stationary time during the pit stop was spot on and we then had some cool battles with Audi and Mercedes. Sixth place is a good result and earned us some more points in the championship. I hope we can continue where we left off at the Lausitzring, and am already looking forward to it.”
Niklas Krütten, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #10 “That was a tough weekend for us. Although we were the best BMW in both qualifying sessions, we are obviously not happy with the eventual results. We were involved in a lot of battles in both races, and experience shows that this often results in contact with the opposition. From a driver’s perspective, you obviously see things differently to somebody watching on or race control. However, we do not feel that we always deserved to be penalised this weekend. There is no point worrying about it now, and I hope that we can be back on the sunny side and claim some better results in the coming races at the Lausitzring.”
Jack Aitken, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #63 “That is a rather disappointing end to the weekend, but we managed to drive a good race on Saturday – particularly with 20 kg of ballast in the car. We were unlucky at the start of race two. Albert spun, through no fault of his own, after which we had no chance today. On the whole, we were struggling a little for pace. However, we will take a close look at everything over the coming days and prepare for the next round at the Lausitzring.”
Tim Zimmermann, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1 “The car felt good, but generally speaking we are unable to get enough heat in the tyres. We had a good first stint in the race, Christopher handed the car over to me in fourth place and, when the Mercedes in front of us was penalised, it looked like being a podium for us. Then I had issues with the gears and dropped back. That was a great shame, as we are on the right track and showed that we are capable of podiums. We just have to put it all together without any mistakes now.”
Mattia Drudi, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #33 “We started the race from 13th and I lost a few places in the hectic start with all the traffic. However, I was able to make up the lost positions on the same lap. After several collisions, the car was no longer running smoothly and, after a few more contacts, we had to retire as the whole of the front section was damaged. That was very disappointing, but we will bounce back at the Lausitzring.”
Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team ZVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #8 “There was contact in the middle of turn two to three, which resulted in me having a puncture. I was then spun, had a few other collisions, and had to retire from the race. Failing to finish like that was just stupid and a great shame after fourth place in qualifying. Despite that, I really enjoyed my guest appearance in the ADAC GT Masters.”
