Kelvin van der Linde completes first test following serious crash

Kelvin van der Linde is back! On Wednesday, he completed his first test since the horrific crash in the first DTM race at the Norisring. He took part in a test in a BMW M4 GT3 with Schubert Motorsport at Oschersleben. The South African is now ready to compete at the circuit in the Magdeburger Börde next week. Van der Linde will make his first race appearance since the crash as early as this week at the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup in Misano, driving for the Belgian WRT team.

Maximilian Paul lost control of his Lamborghini Temerario GT3 on an oil spill whilst braking for the Grundig hairpin, crashed violently into the barrier and then struck Kelvin van der Linde at high speed through the driver’s door, before crashing into the tyre barrier at the first corner.

Whilst Paul fractured his tibia and fibula and suffered a spinal injury, van der Linde escaped unharmed apart from some bruising.

“We’ve had a medical adviser working behind the scenes in our team for many years. In a case like this, we call him straight away. He then contacts the senior doctor on site directly. That was also the case with Kelvin. After the initial examination, both doctors agreed that, at first glance, everything looked fine. However, to rule out any injuries, they jointly decided to have an MRI scan carried out. That is why Kelvin was taken to hospital in Nuremberg for a final examination,” explained van der Linde’s manager, Dennis Rostek, in an interview with Motorsport-Magazin.

Kelvin van der Linde was preparing for his comeback at Red Bull’s Athlete Performance Centre. Dennis Rostek explains: “Together with our partner Red Bull, we decided that Kelvin should undergo a sort of rehabilitation programme. He underwent various treatments and rehabilitation exercises in Fuschl throughout the week. Last Friday, it was then decided that he was fit to race again. That’s why we decided he would try to take part in the test at Oschersleben.”

Topic of the week

From major doubts to a major spectacle: why GP fans have reason to be delighted

Before the start of the season, critical voices dominated, but the World Championship rounds so far have shown that the rule changes are delivering exactly what was hoped for: excitement right up to the final lap.

Vanessa Georgoulas

Read more

TV program

Live

Oschersleben: Rennen 1

DTM

25.07.2026 - 13:10

“I have absolutely no concerns that Kelvin hasn’t also come to terms with the accident mentally. We all know that motor racing is dangerous. He’s very safe and is becoming even safer, but at the end of the day, we’re involved in a high-risk sport. We have to face up to that, even if we often prefer to push it to the back of our minds. Incidents like the one at the Norisring, however, bring this home to us very starkly once again. There are unforeseeable things in motor racing that are beyond our control and which can change our lives. That’s why I’m very happy that nothing worse happened to Kelvin,” Rostek continued.

Team boss Torsten Schubert estimated the damage to the South African’s car – who is a Red Bull athlete – at around €180,000. “Fortunately for us, his crashed car was repairable and could be rebuilt on a new chassis. Kelvin’s car was ready by Tuesday lunchtime after the final measurement checks,” Schubert told Motorsport magazine.

Despite two pole positions and a win at the Red Bull Ring, Kelvin van der Linde has had a difficult season in the DTM so far and currently sits only twelfth in the championship standings. This is a situation that pleases neither van der Linde nor Rostek, as the manager explains: “Unfortunately, Kelvin has often lacked that little bit of luck. I don’t wish to comment on the BoP. However, I can see that the BMW isn’t currently good enough to make the top 10 on the grid. You saw that at the Norisring. If you don’t start from the top 10 in the DTM, you don’t stand a chance, no matter which circuit you’re on. We wanted to build on what we’d started at the Red Bull Ring and be in contention for the championship at the halfway point of the season. Kelvin is currently a long way from that. There’s no immediate danger on the horizon yet. However, unless something drastic happens now, we’ll run into problems.”

That said, Rostek still views the DTM as a positive product, even though he admits there have been a few warning signs recently: “Attendance figures in the DTM remain fantastic. It’s incredible how the series continues to mobilise the fans. The fans love the product. As far as spectator numbers are concerned, the DTM is definitely heading in the right direction. That’s the positive side. However, spectators also want to see cars and well-known racing drivers going round the circuit. The flagship product known as the DTM is still working, but when it comes to the support and junior series, there have already been a few warning signs. We need to be very careful here, otherwise the whole thing will collapse at some point.”