– Good news for Maximilian Paul: The DTM driver who was seriously injured on Saturday at the Norisring, suffering fractures to his tibia, fibula, and a lumbar vertebra in the crash, has been discharged from the hospital in Nuremberg. This was confirmed by his team principal Gottfried Grasser.
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“Max has been discharged and is now going home to recover,” says the Austrian when asked by Motorsport-Total.com. What gives even more hope: Paul’s girlfriend Patricija Stalidzane, who was with the 26-year-old Dresden native in the Konrad Lamborghini at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, posted a photo on Instagram on Friday with the hashtag #FREEMAX.
The picture shows Paul standing independently in front of the main entrance of the Campus Süd of the hospital in Nuremberg with his left leg bandaged below the knee but without a cast. The Lamborghini factory driver is raising the crutches above his head without leaning on them.
What happens next for Maximilian Paul after the crash
Already a few days earlier, Maximilian Paul was seen in a photo – with his father Tobias Paul by his side – with a confident expression in the hospital bed. A sign that the young racer is already on the road to recovery after the operation.
“I am withdrawing for the time being to take care of my body and health and will be back at full strength soon,” he announced on Monday. “I will still be in the hospital for the next few days, then I will go to rehab.”
A comeback is not yet conceivable as the severity of the injuries requires a longer recovery. After the accident, there was speculation in the DTM paddock about a comeback at the end of the season, but that would be a surprise under the current circumstances.
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Can Paul’s Grasser Lamborghini be used?
Whether his car can be used again at the upcoming DTM weekend in two weeks in Oschersleben? That was initially completely unclear, but a first inspection found that the greatest damage occurred in the front area of the vehicle, which can basically be repaired.
Whether this will be possible in time is still uncertain. “Hard to say,” says team principal Grasser, who will himself make a comeback behind the wheel next weekend at the ADAC GT Masters weekend at the Nürburgring in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. “The availability of parts is an issue. We are currently working on it.” Apart from that, the team would need a replacement driver for Paul.
Kelvin van der Linde trains at Red Bull for comeback
BMW factory driver Kelvin van der Linde, whose driver’s door was hit by Paul in the accident in Nuremberg and who suffered bruises, is meanwhile already working on his comeback. The German-South African has been part of the Red Bull squad for two and a half years and therefore has access to the Athlete Performance Center of the Austrian energy drink manufacturer in Thalgau near Salzburg.
The renowned training center specializes in data-driven performance diagnostics and rehabilitation after injuries. With the support of Red Bull experts, who also look after drivers like Max Verstappen, van der Linde is preparing there for his return at the upcoming DTM weekend in Oschersleben.
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