The Porsche Sports Cup Suisse kicked off this year, just like in previous years, at the legendary Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Despite cold but dry conditions, we had thrilling races. Nevertheless, I have a rather ambivalent relationship with the Red Bull Ring: on the one hand, the track is beautifully located, and the infrastructure is absolutely top-notch and modern; on the other hand, the track remains a challenge for me and is not necessarily among my favourites. But to get ahead of myself: this year, things were a bit different!

After our test days in Le Castellet on the Paul Ricard circuit, we were optimistic that our setup was already well-tuned to me and the new GT4 RS. The only challenge was the understeer, especially with tire degradation over race distance. However, after some adjustments at the end of the first day, we got it under control. At 1:33:709, I finished qualifying in P1 and was even 0.3 seconds under my personal goal. Initially, I had trouble finding the right rhythm at the beginning of the qualifying and missed the optimal tyre peak. Nevertheless, I was very satisfied with the result, especially since I could hold Tomas Guedes to P2 by 0.13s.

In the first of the two races, starting from the inside, I was a bit cautious and lost the lead in T1, regained it in T3, but lost it again in T4. Tomas Guedes, a Portuguese GT4 driver who is also a top contender in the Italian GT4 Championship, made no mistakes, so we maintained the gap in the race. At the end of the first race, I came in second ahead of my former teammate Philip Hagnauer from Porsche BSL Racing. What a race!

The new format of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse is based on the two best qualifying lap times, which is why I started from P3 in the second race. My second start was good but not perfect. In the fifth lap, however, I was able to take the lead and celebrate my first victory of the season 2024 in front of Patrick Schetty and Ekatarina Lüscher.

Such success is only possible through the smooth collaboration of all involved. From the team that prepares the vehicle and optimizes the setup during the race weekend to the fair competitors who keep the competition exciting, the equipment that must last until the checkered flag, to the external influences like weather, track conditions, and even race control – and, of course, a bit of luck. This weekend, everything was just right and came together, and I am very grateful to the AMAG First Rennsport team and my driver coach, Moritz Kranz, for their excellent support. Of course, there will be other races where not everything goes as smoothly this season. But for this year’s championship, I was able to lay the first important foundation. We keep on pushing!