Mercedes-AMG sets fastest time of opening practice in the German GT Championship in Oschersleben

• Works driver Raffaele Marciello goes fastest in first free practice
• Three manufacturers in the top five

Oschersleben. Shining star: Mercedes-AMG dominated the first free practice session of the opening round of this season’s ADAC GT Masters in Oschersleben. The Swabian manufacturer’s cars occupied the top three positions, with works driver Raffaele Marciello (26/I) setting the fastest time of the morning. In doing so, he ensured that Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR enjoyed a promising start to the series. New TV partner NITRO is broadcasting both races in the German GT Championship live on free-to-air TV, starting at 16:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The races can also be watched in a free livestream on TVNOW and at adac.de/motorsport.

Former FIA GT World Cup winner Marciello’s fastest time of 1:23.767 minutes in Friday morning’s 70-minute session underlined how much he likes the 3.667-kilometre track. The Italian set a qualifying record at the finale of the 2020 season in Oschersleben, before going on to win the Sunday race. “That was a good start to the new season,” said Marciello, who shares a car with Hamburg’s Maximilian Buhk (28). “Our car is running very well, but we still have a little work to do. It is obviously great to be first, but the position means absolutely nothing yet.”

Second fastest, just nine tenths of a second slower, were fellow Mercedes drivers Igor Waliłko (23/PL) and Jules Gounon (26/F, both Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing). Third place went to Luca Stolz (25/Brachbach) and Maro Engel (35/Monte Carlo, both Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT). Their fastest lap time was 1:23.934 minutes.

The fourth fastest time of the day came courtesy of Lamborghini works drivers Mirko Bortolotti (31/I) and Albert Costa Balboa (31/E, GRT Grasser Racing Team), with a 1:23.973-minute lap. Rounding off the top five were Audi Sport drivers Charles Weerts (20/B) and Dries Vanthoor (22/B, both Team WRT) in the best-placed R8 LMS.

In total, 21 cars were within one second of each other.

David Jahn drives for Team Joos Sportwagentechnik
Team Joos Sportwagentechnik arrives in Oschersleben with a different driver line-up. Five-time ADAC GT Masters race winner David Jahn (30/Leipzig) is helping out the team from Balingen at short notice and shares the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Marco Holzer (32/Bobingen). “I only got the call a few days ago,” said Hahn. “I am pleased to be racing here. I am only down to drive in Oschersleben at first, then we will discuss how we proceed after that.”