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Three days after the severe DTM crash during Saturday's race at the Norisring, the full extent of Maximilian Paul's injuries has become clear. As his team principal Gottfried Grasser informed Motorsport-Total.com upon request, the 26-year-old Dresden native suffered "a fibula and a tibia fracture as well as a lumbar vertebra fracture."
Previously, official reports only mentioned a lower leg fracture, which the Lamborghini driver sustained during the unbraked impact into the driver's door of Kelvin van der Linde's Schubert BMW. "He has undergone surgery, everything went well, and he is recovering," team boss Grasser clarified on Tuesday.
The team wishes "Max a speedy recovery and hope to see him return to us soon," the Austrian announced. "We know he's a fighter and will get through this difficult time." Paul himself also spoke out from the hospital for the first time - and expressed his gratitude for the excellent care in a press statement.
Maximilian Paul speaks for the first time about the crash"The accident was a major setback for me," he stated. "I’d like to thank all the rescue workers and the doctors who looked after me so exceptionally well." Now, the focus is on looking forward. "I’m taking a break for the time being to look after my body and my health, and I’ll be back in full force soon. I’ll be in hospital for the next few days, after which I’ll be heading to rehab."
The front end of Maximilian Paul's Lamborghini was completely destroyed.
Foto: ADAC Motorsport
Paul will definitely be sidelined for months, as the left leg in particular must withstand enormous strain in the Lamborghini, with drivers applying more than 100 kilograms of pressure to the brake pedal. Aside from that, vertebral fractures generally require at least half a year of recovery, even if no specific details regarding the exact nature of the injury have been disclosed.
"I really appreciate the support of my family, my team, my friends and everyone who’s checking in on me at the moment, and I’ll be consciously focusing on that support and my recovery in the coming weeks," said Paul, who had been finding his rhythm increasingly well this year after moving from his own squad to the Grasser team.
"I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the many kind words and get-well wishes. They give me strength and keep me going on my road to recovery."
Bortolotti visits Paul in the hospital: "Max is a fighter"The Grasser team produced a special get-well video for Paul, who delivered the team's first DTM victory at the Nurburgring in 2023. In the video, not only team boss Grasser and teammate Mirko Bortolotti but also the mechanics sent their greetings to the team youngster.
Bortolotti visited his teammate as early as Saturday after the accident. "After the race, I went to the hospital to visit him and Kelvin," said the Vienna-based Italian, who spent several hours there. "I was glad that Kelvin got released immediately."
Even though Paul will have to spend several more days in the hospital, he believes in a swift comeback. "Max is a fighter and I’m relieved that his recovery is progressing in a positive direction," he said. "I wish him a speedy recovery and I have no doubt he’ll come back stronger than ever."
Cairoli on the impact: "I heard the hit inside my car"While van der Linde benefited from the fact that the Lamborghini has no engine in the front and escaped with bruising, this could be one of the reasons for Paul's severe leg injuries. Unlike a front-mid-engine car like the BMW or the Mercedes-AMG, the Temerario GT3 has a short nose, meaning the legs are less protected.
Images of the crashed car also show that not much was left of the front right side - where the Lamborghini struck the BMW. However, the fact that the driver sits on the left may have had a positive effect on the severity of Paul's injuries.
Everything indicates that Paul slipped on an oil slick left by Timo Glock and hit the guardrails before the braking zone, where drivers are doing around 250 km/h. This caused the right rear wheel to be torn off, leaving the vehicle without any way to brake.
"Right behind me I heard the hit from Maximilian Paul and Kelvin inside my car," Matteo Cairoli told ran.de. The Emil Frey Ferrari driver, who was running directly ahead of van der Linde at the time of the accident, even noticed the impact inside his cockpit - another indication of the enormous force of the crash.
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