Famous German Race Car Drivers

With seven Formula One championship under his belt, Michael Schumacher is the most successful racer of Formula 1 and one of the greatest motor sports driver in the world. The retired German racer was the face of Ferrari for a decade and with his tremendous on track success also became one of best paid athletes in the sport’s history.

Widely considered one of the greatest drivers in Formula One history, Sebastian Vettel holds a number of records, including most podium finishes and most consecutive race wins. Sebastian has a unique habit of naming his cars as he feels it is important to share a close relationship with the cars that he drives.

Nico Hülkenberg initially worked as a forwarding agent at his father’s shipping company. He had started his racing career with go-karting at age 10 and grew up to race for Formula BMW, Formula Three, and GP2, among others. He scripted history by winning the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in his first attempt.

Ralf Schumacher is a German former racing driver who first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. He is the younger brother of former Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. He began karting at three and took to automobile racing as a young adult. He has since retired from motorsport and now mentors young drivers. 

Michael Fassbender is a critically-acclaimed Irish-German actor best known for playing a sex addict in the psychological erotic drama film Shame. Apart from being an actor, Michael is also a well-known racing driver; he started his auto racing career in 2017 and currently races for Proton Competition in the European Le Mans Series.

The son of former Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg, Nico Rosberg followed in his father's footsteps to win the 2016 Formula One world championship. After announcing his retirement as a racing driver, Nico Rosberg became an eco-entrepreneur, helping with the construction of self-autonomous and electric vehicles. Rosberg has also worked with charities like Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli.

Nick Heidfeld is a German professional racing driver known for scoring the most podium finishes without a Grand Prix win (13). He began racing karts as an 11-year-old and moved into the German Formula Ford series as a young man. He had a successful junior career and began his Formula One career in 2000. 

Former German racing driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is best known for ending up as the 1997 Formula One World Drivers' Championship runner-up. He is part of the elite club of 7 German drivers who have ever won the country a Grand Prix. He also had a 3-year racing stint at DTM.

German-Uruguayan racing driver Adrian Sutil is known for his 7-season stint with Formula One. Starting his career with go-karting as a teenager, he grew up to represent Spyker and Sauber F1 teams. He was suspended for a Shanghai nightclub brawl, where he was celebrating Lewis Hamilton's win in the Chinese Grand Prix.

German racing driver and BMW Motorsport works driver Timo Glock had begun his motorsport career at the tender age of 15. He was dragged into a controversy when critics claimed he let Briton Lewis Hamilton overtake him during the final lap of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, a claim he still denies.

German racing driver Sophia Flörsch is also skilled in activities such as karting, wind surfing, and skiing. She now competes for Abt Sportsline and the Richard Mille Racing Team. In 2020, she received the Laureus Comeback of the Year award for surviving a deadly accident on track and a spinal surgery.

German-Mauritian racing driver Pascal Wehrlein is the son of a boxer father and was thus no stranger to the world of sports. Starting his career with go-karting, he later became the youngest winner of the DTM series. He has represented teams such as Mercedes, Mahindra, and even Scuderia Ferrari.

Hermann Tilke is a German racing driver, engineer, and circuit designer. He is credited with designing a number of F1 motor racing circuits. Over the course of his career, Hermann Tilke has designed many popular circuits like the Sepang International Circuit, Shanghai International Circuit, and Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Jochen Mass is a German former racing driver who has participated in 114 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. He was the winner of the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. He enjoyed great success in sports car racing after leaving the Formula One circuit. At present, he drives the Mercedes-Benz museum's historic cars. He played himself in the 2013 film Rush. 

Hans-Joachim Stuck is a German racing driver. The son of legendary motor racing driver Hans Stuck, he was introduced to racing early on. He won his first 24 hours race at the age of 19 and proceeded to have a brilliant racing career. He has competed in Formula One and many other categories during his long career. 

A 3-time Le Mans 24-hour racing champion, German racing driver André Lotterer now represents the TAG Heuer Porsche team. Though born in a German town, he often visits the Belgian town of Nivelles, where he was raised. He has also lived in Tokyo and Monaco.

Christian Danner is a former racing driver from Germany who has competed in Formula One and Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. He won two races at the Hockenheimring driving a BMW M3 in the late 1980s. He also participated in the Japanese Formula 3000 in 1990. After retiring as a racer, he became an F1 commentator for a German channel.