Ellis wins at Lausitzring, van der Linde loses everything

Author of a very good first stint, Sheldon van der Linde (Rowe Racing), who started from pole, was in a good position to score his first victory. But now, Philip Ellis (Winward) didn't see it that way and came to thwart the plans of his South African rival.

Coming out behind Sheldon van der Linde after the first round of refueling, the Swiss raised his voice during the second part of the race to the point of making the Rowe Racing driver break down.

Thanks to the best rhythm of its Mercedes-AMG GT3 No. 57, Philip Ellis was able to carry out a fatal attack on the start/finish straight with less than 20 minutes to go. Helpless, Sheldon van der Linde then saw Liam Lawson (AF Corse) slip past him before his race turned sour.

Coming back behind Philip Ellis and Liam Lawson, the South African saw Mike Rockenfeller (Abt) scold him before receiving a 5-second penalty for an infraction in the pit lane. Fifth at the finish, Sheldon van der Linde finally finished 9th behind Belgian Esteban Muth (T3 Motorsport).

At another pace, Philip Ellis was never caught and went to cross the finish line alone in this first race of the meeting at the Lausitzring in front of Liam Lawson and Mike Rockenfeller.

The race was also marked by technical difficulties encountered by the other Mercedes-AMG GT3s. For example, Vincent Abril (Team HRT), Arjun Maini (Team GetSpeed), Daniel Juncadella (Gruppem Racing) or Maximilian Götz (Team HRT), all at the wheel of the star car, have never saw the checkerboard.