Carrie Schreiner returns to the top-ten in ADAC GT Masters
- MIKA BÖCKER
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
Carrie Schreiner secured another top-ten result in the ADAC GT Masters, bouncing back from an engine failure in Saturday's race to end her Nürburgring weekend on a more positive note.
Carrie Schreiner secured another top-ten result in the ADAC GT Masters, bouncing back from an engine failure in Saturday's race to end her Nürburgring weekend on a more positive note.
Schreiner returned to the ADAC GT Masters in 2025 with a promising comeback at the Lausitzring, where she and Audi debutant Alain Valente steadily improved to claim a strong seventh-place finish in the rain-affected race two—her first points in the series since 2020. After a solid season opener, the Land Motorsport duo aimed to carry that momentum into Zandvoort, a circuit that had previously brought Schreiner success in F1 Academy. However, a challenging weekend in mixed conditions saw them struggle to extract pace from their Audi, marking a tough outing for the pair.
In the third round, Schreiner and her teammate were looking to bounce back. The ADAC GT Masters weekend took place at the Nürburgring as part of the Truck Grand Prix. In glorious weather, the cars took to the track for qualifying on Saturday morning. After just an installation lap, Carrie Schreiner returned to the pits, aiming to warm up the tyres via a so-called heat tow without causing additional wear on the brakes.
After the short pit stop, she improved on her second attempt. Schreiner was the first to put in a timed lap and steadily improved over the following laps, eventually matching her Friday practice pace. Initially, only Zulauf and Fach could match her times, but as track grip increased, more drivers improved and pushed Schreiner’s 1:26.460 lap time down to 15th on the grid—still just one second off overall pole position.
The Saarland native started race one on Saturday evening from the back, but remained undeterred. She got off to a perfect start, making up several positions before the first corner, moving up to 12th place behind the Schnitzelalm Mercedes on the opening lap.
But it was not to last: Schreiner lost positions again before the short connection, and on the second lap, her Audi began to emit white smoke. She was forced to stop next to the pit wall and retire after fewer than two laps. The 10-cylinder engine was beyond repair and had to be replaced overnight. Repairs lasted until 4:00 a.m., as the spare engine also experienced issues with the throttle valve, which were resolved in time for Sunday qualifying.
On Saturday, teammate Valente hadn’t matched Schreiner's performance in qualifying but still made progress. Ultimately, it was enough for 11th on the grid.
At the start of the race, Valente didn’t make up as many positions as Schreiner had the day before, but he did move into the top ten. That made the Land Motorsport entry the highest-placed Audi at that stage, just ahead of fellow Audi driver Bulatov.
Valente had to repeatedly defend his position under braking into the Hauk-Hecke, which he managed well. The two Audis were locked in 10th and 11th in a tightly packed battle group stretching from 3rd to 12th, with little position change—until the ninth lap.
There, the #14 Porsche disrupted the field by taking the lead on the start-finish straight. This maneuver sparked chaos in the group, as the overtaken BMWs launched counterattacks into the first corner, leading to collisions that continued through the AMG Arena.
The #14 Porsche then suffered a power loss and smoke from a damaged exhaust. In the hectic stages, Valente was shuffled back and dropped to 12th. With 63:30 minutes remaining, he pitted along with several others. With long-format races returning this weekend, two pit stops were required, and Land Motorsport opted to take the long stop first.
Schreiner took over and rejoined in 13th. At the end of the pit window, she was five seconds behind the Joos Porsche in 12th, but she began to close the gap. Joos overtook Karklys, which allowed Schreiner to get closer to the Lamborghini ahead.
On lap 24, she successfully passed Karklys. Although she lost some time in the battle and couldn’t catch Joos, she kept the gap manageable and made her second, shorter pit stop with 24 minutes to go.
Valente resumed in 12th after the final pit cycle and began chasing Neuhofer. The battle lasted for several laps before Valente finally overtook the Porsche with eight laps remaining. That put him behind Holzem in a BMW, who was lapping significantly slower but, thanks to a BoP power boost, was difficult to pass on the straights.
Valente eventually found a way past with just two laps remaining and immediately pulled a gap. Although he didn't have enough time to gain another position, he brought the car home in tenth, securing another points finish.
"Yes, of course, I wanted more than a 10th place this weekend. But after yesterday and also after Zandvoort, 10th place felt good. Above all, the pace was good," explained Carrie Schreiner, for whom this result felt like real damage limitation after the tough start to the weekend.
The series now heads into its summer break and will resume at the Salzburgring from September 5th to 7th. Three race weekends remain for the Saarland-native to improve her position in the championship standings.
