The W&S Motorsport Porsche pair are Pro-Am title contenders this season, and are proving to be a great blend of youth and experience.
While Kronberg is into his third GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club campaign and last year became an overall race winner at Hockenheim, teenager Zulauf stepped up to the championship for the first time this season.
Zulauf has already shown great speed, with he and Kronberg consistently fighting at the head of the Pro-Am order. After taking a win in their first weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard they shared the championship lead, and were also well in the fight at Misano before two punctures cost them ground. However, there are still a lot of races left this year for them to fight back.
Max, great to see you again. What keeps you coming back to the championship?
Max Kronberg: “For me it’s the third season in the championship, and I just love the competition here. We have a huge grid, with a packed Pro-Am class, and I love the circuits we race at. The whole atmosphere is really good, with good competition.
And you’ve been with W&S Motorsport the whole time?
MK: “Yeah, this is my fourth year with the team. I started racing with them on the Nordschleife, and then we switched to sprint racing in GT4 Germany and the GT4 European Series. They’re a great team and work so hard. We’re like family.”
What got you started in racing?
MK: “I was always a fan of racing, but I started racing go-karts quite late, when I was like 20 years old in Germany. From there I progressed to the Nürburgring endurance series, did a few years there and now into GT4 sprint racing. I just love it.”
New team-mate for this year? We got so used to Hendrik Still and Max Kronberg…
MK: “We still have that as I race with Hendrik in GT4 Germany! But here yes, it’s been really good sharing with Finn so far. I actually did my first-ever sprint race in Germany alongside Finn, so it’s really good to team up with him again. The first weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard was really successful, and we would have done well at Misano too if we did not have the tyre damage. But we work very well together and have a great time sharing the car.”
And a debut season for you, Finn…
Finn Zulauf: “Yeah, it’s a big year! I’m racing in GT4 Germany too with the team, so a lot of races this season and a lot of learning to do, but I really enjoy it.”
You started in karting early?
FZ: “I was racing since I was a kid. My father, Holger, used to race when I was young. He raced GTs and saloons in the Nürburgring endurance series for many years, so that’s how I got into it. I first drove a kart in Frankfurt on my seventh birthday then I began racing karts properly. When I was 15 I did circuit racing in the 318ti Cup and finished in the top 10 of a 42-car field. Then I moved straight into GT4 racing when I was 16 and I’ve stayed with the team ever since.”
Did you want to follow your dad into GT racing?
FZ: “Definitely. I’ve always loved the cars and the budgets are better than something like single-seaters. I love door-to-door racing, so there was never a question for me that I wanted to go into GT racing.”
And already a win this year in round one…
FZ: “To be honest we didn’t expect that. We went into Circuit Paul Ricard just looking to get some solid points, so to win race two was pretty good. I think it was a very good start to the season and we can build on that. Obviously, Misano did not go to plan and we got unlucky, but we can fight back.”
Is the racing in GT4 Europe different to Germany?
FZ: “There are a lot more cars! You have to get used to being in a very big grid with cars all around you and there are also more classes here, so you need to be a bit more intelligent about who you are truly fighting with. Sometimes it’s better to let cars not in your class go instead of wasting time, but that is easier said than done because we are all racers at the end of the day and we all want good fights on track and to be the best.”
You actually work with W&S too?
FZ: “I’m doing an internship with the team so when I am not racing I am working on the technical side of things for the team’s NLS [Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie] programme, and I also do some coaching for the junior drivers with the team. I think it helps a lot if you understand the car technically. You know better what the car is capable of and you can give better feedback to your engineers. I enjoy that side of the sport a lot.”
What’s the ambition for this season for both of you?
MK: “It’s always very hard to say so early in the season, but of course we want to score as many points as possible during the season, get to lift some trophies and see where we end up at the finish of the season.”
FZ: “Same as Max said. Let’s have some fun, go for podiums, and see where we end up in the championship. Obviously, the higher the better!”
