Hockenheimring

Hockenheimring – tickets for the Motodrom

The Hockenheimring lies in Baden-Württemberg, between Heidelberg and Mannheim, in the middle of the Kurpfalz forest. It holds up to 120,000 spectators, which makes it one of the largest venues in Germany — bigger than any football stadium in the country.

The Motodrom: an arena, not a stretch of track

What sets Hockenheim apart from other circuits is the Motodrom. The final third of the lap runs into a tight bowl of tall grandstands wrapped around the corner complex. From there you see not a glimpse but the whole sequence — braking, turn-in, acceleration — and between the concrete tiers you hear it twice over.

A practical note on choosing a category: if this is your first visit, book the Motodrom. The stands along the straights are cheaper but offer cars passing rather than racing.

From forest circuit to the lap of today

The track was built in 1932. For decades it was a high-speed course whose long straights ran deep into the woods — the legendary Ostkurve sat some three kilometres from the paddock. In 2002 the lap was cut back drastically: the forest section went, and 4.574 kilometres remain. The old layout is still visible in the terrain.

It was in that forest section that Jim Clark, twice Formula One world champion, was killed in 1968. A memorial stone at the site remains, freely accessible.

What runs here

Hockenheim is one of Germany's two great circuits and today above all a DTM venue. Alongside it come motorcycle series, Formula Student Germany, and in the NitrOlympX the largest drag racing meeting in Europe.

Formula One: the last German Grand Prix was held at Hockenheim in 2019, and no German round has appeared on the calendar since. In August 2026 Formula One's leadership confirmed for the first time that talks are under way — and that Hockenheim initiated them. A return is described as medium-term; there is no date. As soon as one is fixed, you will find it with us.

Concerts

The site is also used for open-air concerts and festivals. The Motodrom works like a stadium, with the infield taking additional standing room — which is why the names that play here are big ones.

Getting there

The circuit sits directly on the A6 near the Hockenheim interchange, with the A61 minutes away. Hockenheim station is around two kilometres off; shuttle buses run on event days.

Distances: Heidelberg around 20 kilometres, Mannheim around 25, Frankfurt about 90 and Stuttgart around 110. Frankfurt airport is the obvious arrival point from abroad; as a base for a race weekend Heidelberg beats Hockenheim itself — more hotels, more town, the same drive.