The horror accident between Grasser Lamborghini driver Maximilian Paul and Schubert BMW driver Kelvin van der Linde overshadowed the DTM Saturday race at the Norisring. Following the race, it was announced that Paul - whose Temerario GT3 was missing almost its entire front end - was admitted to the hospital with a suspected lower leg fracture.
How is the 26-year-old from Dresden doing? "Not well", answers a visibly shocked Gottfried Grasser when asked by Motorsport-Total.com. "We have to see." He remains in contact with his driver, but it is too early to provide specific details. "Several examinations are currently underway."
He also knows no more than the reports stating that Paul, who according to eyewitness accounts sat in the car for a long time and was shielded from view, suffered a lower leg fracture. The situation for Kelvin van der Linde looks slightly better: The BMW factory driver experienced pain in his left leg and left arm, which he was seen holding after the accident.
Despite efforts: Kelvin van der Linde will not start on Sunday
After an examination at the Medical Center, he was also taken to the hospital at his own request to be on the safe side. "He is currently undergoing a further examination at the hospital," explained team boss Torsten Schubert, who stated he had not yet spoken to his driver.
"He is getting an MRI now - we have to wait and see what the results are," says Schubert. Shortly before 9 PM, there was a positive update from BMW. "Kelvin is doing well so far, no serious injuries, some bruising," a BMW spokeswoman shared.
ポールがブレーキングでアウト側の壁に当たってコントロール不能になってケルビンに突っ込んでる#DTM2026#DTMjp. https://t.co/dqhozP9Pva pic.twitter.com/WFJvAFAKDm
— にっこう -nikko- (@hntzk5523) July 4, 2026
Nevertheless, he will not start on Sunday: "He will not drive tomorrow. The car is no longer usable." Team boss Schubert had initially not ruled out his driver's start - and had already set everything in motion for it.
"A new car is already on its way here, then we will submit an application," he announced, saying that they wanted to field the Schubert BMW from the ADAC GT Masters in the DTM. In the end, that could not be realized after all. At Grasser, starting the second car on Sunday was never an issue anyway.
Why Paul could no longer brake
But how did the wild crash at the Grundig-Hairpin - which reminded many of the 2017 drama involving Mike Rockenfeller and Gary Paffett - even happen? Paul's Grasser Lamborghini, which had not yet completed its pit stop, suddenly veered right during the braking phase, presumably at over 250 km/h, and slammed into the guardrail.
This was devastating, as Paul was unable to steer his Temerario afterwards. "The problem was: the impact tore out the rear axle," Grasser explains. "And with only three wheels, you can hardly brake." The Lamborghini slammed unchecked into the left door of van der Linde, who was just turning into the Grundig-Hairpin.
Schubert: "We can be glad it wasn't a front-engined car"
The force was so immense that it ripped the door out of van der Linde's BMW - and destroyed the chassis. "The side pipes are broken," Schubert confirms. "We can be glad that a front-engined car didn't hit us. Then it probably would have gone even deeper," he says, referring to the fact that in the front-mid-engined Lamborghini, the weight is not concentrated at the front axle.
Paul's subsequent impact into the tire wall was less severe, as the vehicle had been massively decelerated by the BMW. While the brakes of the new Temerario GT3 - which have challenged teams since the start of the season and are prone to overheating at the Norisring - were initially suspected as the cause, an oil slick from Timo Glock is believed to have triggered the accident.
Data proves: It was not a Lamborghini brake failure
"The data has been analyzed - and up to the first impact with the barriers there was nothing wrong with the car," Grasser confirms. So it was "definitely" not down to the brakes. "It was definitely the oil slick," the Austrian is convinced. In addition, after the stoppage they saw on Glock's McLaren "that a lot of oil had run down there."
In fact, binding agent even had to be used on the start-finish straight to clean up the oil from Glock's car, which was unable to resume the race. Grasser's assumption was that contact between Glock and pursuer Ben Dörr, whose front was also smeared with oil after the intra-team duel, had caused the problem.
What led to Glocks consequential oil loss?
Dorr team manager Axel Funke rules that out. "The two did not touch. It only looked that way because Timo had a slide," he says.
Glock himself clarified afterwards that the problem was not due to contact. "It was due to an error in how the line from the oil cooler to the gearbox was routed." Glock had to end the race due to low oil pressure.
Interestingly, almost no other drivers had issues with the oil slick. Even Manthey driver Ricardo Feller, who was directly behind Paul, said he noticed nothing of the oil slick. However, this could have been because he was avoiding debris and therefore not driving on the racing line.
Grasser also without a second car in Oschersleben?
While a new chassis is being built at Schubert, the situation at the Grasser team - aside from Paul's injury - is even more critical. "We are currently looking at what the possibilities are," says Grasser. "Spare car, repair, and so on. There are 1,000 questions in my head."
Even for the upcoming DTM weekend in three weeks, the entry of the second car is not guaranteed. "We are talking about whether we can even make it to Oschersleben, because parts are difficult to get," he says, referring to the spare parts shortage for the new Temerario.
