Reactions from the paddock after Saturday’s race in the German GT Championship in the Netherlands.
Dennis Marschall, Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #27: “It is a year since I last made it onto the ADAC GT Masters podium, which is why it took me a while to get the champagne open. It is crazy how quickly the track changed. There was a big difference between yesterday and today. However, we coped well with it. I would like to qualify in the top five on Sunday. However, the field is very evenly matched and the other guys also want to be right up there.”
Kim-Luis Schramm, Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #27: “We were unlucky with the weather in qualifying this morning, and were not quite able to put together a perfect lap. However, eighth place was not a bad position to start from. The race went well. I had a few overtaking manoeuvres and came into the pits for the driver changeover in fourth place. Our strategy was spot on and the good pit stop put us second. Dennis drove flawlessly and did a very good job of defending that position.”
Norbert Siedler, Eastalent Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #54: “The result is a really great one for us. Simon did a fantastic job in qualifying and the race. He handed the car over to me in third place. It was then really easy for me to maintain that position and secure our spot on the podium. I am already very much looking forward to Sunday. I will be aiming for the top five in qualifying. If it stays dry, that is a realistic target.”
Simon Reicher, Eastalent Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #54: “Qualifying was really good today. We knew that it would be wet, so we wanted to lay down a fast lap at the start of the session. It then started to drizzle during my lap, but that was not a problem. The team made the right decision. At the start of the race, I did not have any time to get nervous, as I was just looking to see where it was not so wet. The red flag at the start gave the track more time to dry out, and meant the decision to start on slicks was exactly the right one.”
Jannes Fittje, ID Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #44: “I was asked on Thursday whether I would be the new driver for ID Racing. As it is better to be at the wheel than sat at home on the sofa, I immediately agreed. We came to Zandvoort without any great expectations: as a new team in the ADAC GT Masters, we have a lot to learn and develop. That is what Jaxon and I are there for. Our decision to head out quickly in qualifying and set a fast lap time was spot on. In the race, the wet track made it difficult on slicks at the start. We lost time in the second pit stop and ended up in fifth place as the best-placed Porsche. That is also the best result of the season so far for ID Racing. We have a lot of potential, so let’s see how Sunday plays out.”
Christian Engelhart, Team Joos Sportwagentechnik, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “We have to be satisfied with the race. If you start eleventh and finish sixth in Zandvoort, where it is very difficult to overtake, then you have exceeded expectations. We were not happy with qualifying and, like many others, we went out too late. That was our only mistake so far. The car was very good in the race. We set the second-fastest lap, which gives us optimism ahead of tomorrow.”
Jan Marschalkowski, Mercedes-AMG Team ZVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #8: “I don’t really know what to say. Whilst I was in the car, I was thinking: just don’t do anything stupid. Then something stupid happened. I am incredibly sorry for the team. It is also bitter for my partner Daniel, who never got to drive. It looks as though the team will get the car up and running by tomorrow. It can only go better then.”
Daniel Juncadella, Mercedes-AMG Team ZVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #8: “Qualifying was perfect and, from the front row of the grid, we had a good chance of challenging at the very front. What happened to Jan was very unfortunate. As a young driver, he does not yet have a lot of experience of driving on slicks on a wet track, when the car is very sensitive. We have all made mistakes like that. Jan had to learn the hard way in the race, or rather the formation lap. However, we are professionals – tomorrow is a new day and a new race.”
Ezequiel Perez Companc, Madpanda Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #90: “In qualifying, we headed onto the track early, before the rain. That was the right decision. However, if it had stayed dry, we could have started from even further up the grid. We started the race from fourth place on wet tyres, which proved to be the wrong choice, as the track dried out very quickly. We had to switch to slicks and dropped well back. Unfortunately, our strategy did not work out, but these things happen. We are optimistic ahead of Sunday’s race, as we have good pace and will again do everything we can to compete at the front.”
Christopher Mies, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1: “The start was not so good. We dropped back to 15th from seventh, and eventually finished ninth. The car was very good. We set the fastest lap time and could definitely have challenged at the front. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to overtake, but a place on the podium would have been possible with our pace.”
Niklas Krütten, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #10: “That was a tough race today. We miscalculated in qualifying and waited too long in the garage, while the others set their fastest times. In the race, Ben had an issue with the balance of the car. Plus, it is difficult to overtake in Zandvoort. When I took over at the wheel, I did manage a few good laps. Then the tyres started to ware and I ultimately had the incident with Christopher Haase, after which we had to retire the car. At the end of the day, that did not make much of a difference to our result.”