The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex built into the hills of the Eifel mountains near the village of Nürburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Construction began in September 1925 and the circuit opened in the spring of 1927, originally conceived as a proving ground for German automakers and a venue to put the country on the international racing map.
The facility’s centerpiece is the Nordschleife (‘North Loop’), a brutally demanding 20.8-kilometer (12.9-mile) circuit that has humbled Formula 1 champions, killed dozens of drivers, and still lets ordinary tourists pay for a lap today. Here’s what the numbers, the history, and a visit actually look like.
Quick Answer
The Nürburgring is a German race track in the Eifel mountains, famous for its 20.8 km (12.9 mi) Nordschleife circuit — nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ for its blind crests, off-camber corners, and unpredictable weather. It opened in 1927, remains open to the public for paid tourist laps on non-event days, and its shorter modern GP-Strecke still hosts top-tier racing.
Nürburgring at a Glance
Location: Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Opened: 1927. Nordschleife length: 20.8 km (12.9 mi). GP-Strecke length: 5.148 km (3.2 mi). Capacity: about 150,000 spectators. Signature event: 24 Hours Nürburgring, first held in 1970 and run most years since (with breaks in 1974, 1975, and 1983). Nickname: ‘Green Hell’ (Grüne Hölle in German).
Why Is the Nürburgring Called the ‘Green Hell’?
Scottish Formula 1 champion Jackie Stewart coined the nickname after winning a fog- and rain-soaked race on the Nordschleife in 1968, a race so treacherous that much of the field failed to finish. The German version, Grüne Hölle, captures the same idea: a circuit that winds through dense Eifel forest, largely out of sight of marshals and spectators, where the weather on one section of track can be completely different from conditions half a mile away.
The name stuck because it fits. Long before Stewart’s win, drivers already treated the Nordschleife with a mix of respect and dread for its blind crests and endless variety of corners, and more than half a century later the ‘Green Hell’ label is used worldwide as shorthand for the track’s fearsome reputation.
Nordschleife: Length, Corners & Elevation
The Nordschleife measures 20.8 kilometers (12.9 miles) per lap, making it one of the longest permanent racing circuits in the world. Counts of its corners vary by source — anywhere from roughly 70 to well over 100 depending on how kinks and combinations are tallied — but every count agrees the layout rarely gives a driver a moment to relax.
Elevation is just as extreme: the track climbs and drops around 300 meters (985 feet) between its lowest and highest points, and much of that change happens abruptly rather than gradually. Blind crests like the famous Flugplatz and Pflanzgarten send cars briefly airborne, which is part of why automakers still use the Nordschleife to validate suspension, aerodynamics, and durability on production and prototype cars long after Formula 1 left the full circuit.
Nürburgring Lap Records
The outright Nordschleife lap record belongs to Porsche factory driver Timo Bernhard, who lapped the circuit in 5:19.55 in June 2018 in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo — a stripped-down, unrestricted development version of Porsche’s Le Mans-winning prototype fitted with extra downforce.
Among street-legal production cars, the Mercedes-AMG ONE set the current benchmark with a 6:29.090 lap driven by Maro Engel in October 2024, the first sub-6:30 lap ever recorded by a road-legal hypercar. Manufacturer ‘Ring lap times are closely watched across the car industry, and carmakers regularly send prototypes to the Nordschleife specifically to chase a faster number.
How Dangerous Is the Nürburgring?
The Nordschleife’s reputation for danger is well earned. Documented fatalities in racing and testing incidents stretch back to 1928 and, by motorsport historians’ tallies, number more than 80 competitors, officials, and testers. The most infamous crash came during the 1976 German Grand Prix, when Niki Lauda’s Ferrari struck an embankment, burst into flames, and left him with severe burns and lung damage — an accident that led directly to Formula 1 abandoning the full circuit the following year.
Public tourist sessions carry real risk too: blind corners, mixed traffic moving at very different speeds, and drivers of widely varying skill on a track with few runoff areas produce crashes — sometimes fatal — most years. Anyone planning to drive it should treat the mandatory safety briefing and marshal instructions as non-negotiable, not a formality.
A Century of Motorsport History
The Nürburgring hosted the German Grand Prix intermittently from 1951 through 2013 and the European Grand Prix in the 1980s and 1990s, with Michael Schumacher recording the most Formula 1 victories at the venue — five wins between 1995 and 2006. The modern GP-Strecke, built in 1984, continues to host Grand Prix racing and other international series.
In 2014, Russian businessman Viktor Kharitonin acquired a majority stake in the facility, which continues to operate as both a working race track and a tourist attraction. The Nürburgring is set to mark its 100th anniversary in 2027.
Planning Your Visit: Tourist Laps & Tickets
On days without scheduled racing or testing, the Nordschleife opens to the public for Touristenfahrten (‘tourist drives’), sold per lap rather than as a day pass. Pricing is tiered — laps typically cost more on weekends and public holidays than on weekday sessions — and frequent visitors can buy a seasonal pass for unlimited laps, sometimes with an early-bird discount if purchased before the season starts. There’s generally no need to reserve a time slot in advance; drivers create an online account, load credit, and queue at the toll gate whenever tourist sessions are running.
The Nordschleife’s public season typically runs from spring through late autumn, with the track closed in winter and periodically shut for private testing, racing events, or bad weather. Because dates, prices, and closures change year to year, check the official Nürburgring website before planning a trip — it publishes the current tourist-drive calendar, per-lap pricing, and mandatory safety regulations. Guided ‘Ring taxi’ passenger rides and rental cars are also available for visitors who’d rather not drive their own car.
24 Hours Nürburgring and the GP-Strecke
First held in 1970, the 24 Hours Nürburgring is an endurance race combining the Nordschleife and GP-Strecke into a single 25.4-kilometer combined circuit that draws roughly 200-plus cars and hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. The race has run most years since its debut, with notable breaks in 1974 and 1975 due to the oil crisis and again in 1983 during reconstruction of the circuit ahead of the GP-Strecke’s 1984 opening. It remains one of the toughest endurance races in the world precisely because it uses the Nordschleife rather than a purpose-built circuit.
Nürburgring race track FAQs
Why is the Nürburgring called the ‘Green Hell’?
F1 champion Jackie Stewart coined the nickname after winning a rain- and fog-plagued race on the Nordschleife in 1968, and it has described the circuit’s unforgiving reputation ever since.
How long is the Nürburgring Nordschleife?
The Nordschleife measures about 20.8 kilometers (12.9 miles) per lap and includes anywhere from roughly 70 to over 100 corners depending on how they’re counted, plus around 300 meters (985 feet) of elevation change.
What is the Nürburgring lap record?
The outright record is 5:19.55, set by Timo Bernhard in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo prototype in June 2018. The fastest by a street-legal production car is 6:29.090, set by the Mercedes-AMG ONE in October 2024.
Is the Nürburgring dangerous?
Yes. Its blind corners, elevation changes, and mixed traffic have made it one of the deadliest circuits in motorsport history, with more than 80 documented racing and testing fatalities since 1928, including Niki Lauda’s near-fatal 1976 crash.
Can the public still drive the Nürburgring today?
Yes. On days without scheduled racing, the Nordschleife opens to the public for paid Touristenfahrten (tourist laps), sold per lap with tiered pricing, while the separate GP-Strecke still hosts professional racing events.
How much does it cost to drive a lap of the Nürburgring?
Tourist laps are sold individually, with weekday sessions typically priced lower than weekend and holiday sessions, plus a seasonal unlimited-lap pass for regular visitors. Prices change year to year, so check the official Nürburgring website for current rates.
Where is the Nürburgring located?
It’s near the village of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains of Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, roughly an hour and a half from Cologne.
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