Reactions from the paddock after the Sunday race at round one of the German GT Championship.

Patric Niederhauser, Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #15: I was obviously determined to defend the lead at the start, but unfortunately it did not quite work out that way and I lost a position. I am still very happy. It was fantastic to be racing in front of so many spectators again. You can really feel that the fans share our passion.

Luca Engstler, Rutronik Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #15: I struggled a little in the ADAC GT Masters at first. Unfortunately, we did not have many tests. However, our great team really helped me. As for the race: If that was not an unsafe release in the pit lane, then I don’t know what is. However, I am new here, so I don’t want to start moaning straight away. Plus, it was not unfair, and Fabian did not do it on purpose. In my opinion, it is all okay. I am incredibly happy with the result. It is crazy to be stood on the podium.

Jonathan Aberdein, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #48: It is incredibly difficult to overtake in Oschersleben. That definitely helped me in the battle for third place, because the BMW behind me had little opportunity to pass. Although it may have looked like hard work from the outside, I was actually really relaxed in the car and confident that I would get third place. It was a fantastic event with packed grandstands. I did not expect so many fans. That was really super!

Raffaele Marciello, Mann-Filter Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #48: It is very difficult to overtake in Oschersleben, as there are only a few spots where there is enough space. Sometimes it is better to stay hot on the heels of the car in front and to look after your tyres. The race could have gone better, but we scored some good points for the championship.

Franck Perera, Emil Frey Racing, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #19: Today’s race was very tough for us, as it is hard to overtake in Oschersleben. Our car was one of the heaviest, because we had to add extra weight after Saturday’s result. From a tactical point of view, we also came in a little too early for our stop. Never mind, we still picked up two points and it is a long season.

Christopher Mies, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #1: We were very good at the test and in practice. Unfortunately, however, the two races were not ideal. We are lacking balance, that much is clear. We must now quickly establish why that is, and solve it. The car will now undergo a complete scan.

Norbert Siedler, Eastalent Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #54: Our goal was to finish in the top ten, and we achieved that. Tenth place in qualifying was a good start. In the race, I made contact with Christopher Mies in turn one and dropped back to eleventh. He then made a mistake and I was able to retake the position. Simon did a top job at the end of the race and ensured we scored our first points.

Florian Spengler, Car Collection Motorsport, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II #69: It was a tough weekend. We tried out a lot of things, but nothing was quite right. There were issues with the tyres, which we could not get up to the right temperature, and we did not actually have a competitive set-up. I am pleased that the car finished in one piece. It was a different story last year. Looking on the positive side, we did finish in the points. However, after the successful tests, we were hoping for more. We have to do better at the Red Bull Ring.

Maximilian Paul, T3 Motorsport, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo #71: We did not have much preparation time, so did relatively little testing. As such, we do not know exactly how to handle the new tyres. We still have a lot of work to do there, and need a few test sessions before the next race. It was nice to have the fans back in Oschersleben. I signed a lot of autographs and had a lot of fun.

Ezequiel Perez Companc, Madpanda Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo #90: This weekend was primarily about learning and gaining experience. We obviously hoped to get a rather better result, but that is part of the learning process. It was important to gather a lot of data. Once we have analysed it, we will be stronger at the next round at the Red Bull Ring.

Niklas Krütten, Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 #10: It was a difficult race. We had issues in qualifying and I was unable to put together a flying lap. As such, we had to start the race from last place. That is particularly tough in Oschersleben, because you can hardly overtake here. We were at least able to make up a few positions and limit the damage. We now head to the Red Bull Ring, and we are confident that we will do better there.