– While the Grasser team secured the world’s first victory with the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 at the DTM in Oschersleben thanks to Mirko Bortolotti, his teammate Maximilian Paul, who was seriously injured three weeks ago at the Norisring, is tirelessly working on his comeback – without taking it easy.
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“Max is on a good path to recovery,” team boss Gottfried Grasser gave an update after the triumph. “He trains until the leg swells – only then does he rest. He is a true fighter with a huge fighting heart, but it is quite natural that it will take some time.”
Grasser is in contact with Paul, to whom Bortolotti dedicated his victory in Oschersleben with emotional words. The Austrian does not rule out that the Dresden native will make a comeback in the DTM this season.
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“I wouldn’t wish for anything more than Max sitting in our car again in Hockenheim,” says Grasser. “From his motivation and attitude, I would trust him to do it – provided the healing process continues as it is now.” The season finale in Hockenheim takes place from October 9 to 11 – that would be just over three months after the accident.
It is still “too early to say anything because it depends on the healing, but it is always good to get back in the car as soon as possible,” the team boss knows, who himself sat behind the wheel of his Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 only recently at the Nürburgring during the ADAC GT Masters.
Paul made his first public appearance from rehab in a video message during the Oschersleben weekend – and made a good impression. “I was put back together again,” said the Lamborghini factory driver sitting at a table. “Of course, I’m giving it my all to be back as soon as possible.”
Grasser impressed: “He has a bite, that’s gigantic”
After his tibia and fibula fracture and lumbar vertebra fracture, which he sustained on July 4, he left the hospital less than a week later – and his girlfriend Patricija Stalidzane subsequently posted a photo showing him standing in front of the clinic entrance, raising his crutches in the air.
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Team boss Grasser was also deeply impressed by his driver, who gave him the first DTM win at the Nürburgring in 2023. “He has a bite, that’s gigantic. And he is fully engaged in rehab and training, so he has the best conditions.”
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Nevertheless, the challenge for the Dresden native is enormous, as the injured left leg is needed when braking – and the drivers apply a pressure of over 100 kilograms on the brake pedal. “Regaining braking power is certainly the biggest challenge,” Grasser also believes.
When will Paul’s car be used again – and who will drive?
But who will sit in the Grasser Lamborghini with the starting number 19, which could not be used in Oschersleben due to unavailable spare parts, until Paul is ready to race again? And can the vehicle even be used as planned at the Nürburgring?
A question that Grasser cannot answer yet. “We’ll take care of that after the race weekend,” says the Austrian.
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A potential candidate for the cockpit would be Franck Perera: The Frenchman not only already won a DTM race in 2024 in the SSR Lamborghini and stood on the podium with Grasser in 2025, but also knows the Temerario GT3, which he drives for Grasser in the endurance races of the GT World Challenge Europe.
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