My second day in Stuttgart didn’t actually take place in the city itself. Thanks to ChatGPT, I found out that if I’m interested in motorsports, I could visit the Hockenheimring. Reaching the track was another adventure involving a skillful combination of two trains and a bus. By the way, Stuttgart seems to have countless different machines for purchasing public transport tickets. So, I opted for a regional ticket and hoped for the best. (I wasn’t fined anywhere, but I later discovered the ticket wasn’t valid on ICE trains—something to note for next time.)
This is how I eventually arrived at the track. At check-in, they informed me that the guided tour would be in German. I used to know German back in the day, but sadly, that knowledge has somehow disappeared from my brain. They promised that the guide would also explain the information in English. However, despite four of us taking the tour, and two of us not understanding German, the “English version” consisted of one English sentence for every five German ones. I understood about 60% of what was said, thanks largely to the fact that this wasn’t my first rodeo when it comes to track tours.
What was special about this tour was that everyone could use their own car to drive around the track. They were surprised I didn’t have a car (there was no mention of this on their website—or if there was, it was in German, which I couldn’t understand). Despite this, the guide vehicle was a minibus, and two others eventually joined us in it. I quickly snagged the front passenger seat, a choice that paid off handsomely since, at the end of the tour, we drove a lap on the track.
Whether or not this part of the tour happens depends on other events scheduled at the track. We got lucky—there was a private driving session, but they went for lunch just as we finished. You can’t exactly reach Formula 1 speeds in a minibus, but credit to the guide, he floored it and tried to follow the racing line (unlike a similar lap I took at Monza, where we drove so slowly I felt snails could race us and have a chance of winning). We did a lap time of about 4 minutes, but even strapped in, I was bouncing from side to side, so I didn’t really mind that we weren’t tearing through the track.
The tour itself covered the usual stops I’ve seen at other track tours: the podium, race control, pit lane, and the track from a VIP grandstand. What stood out here was that we could enter the garages. Though they’re just large, empty spaces when there’s no race, it was still interesting for me since I’d never been inside one before.
I also asked whether Formula 1 would ever return to Hockenheim. (I chuckled internally later on about various news articles speculating on Hockenheim or Nürburgring making a comeback—I felt like a “blind squirrel finding a nut” type of reporter accidentally asking this.) The answer was that they have a good relationship with F1, but the fees they charge are simply too high for it to be worthwhile, so it’s unlikely F1 will return anytime soon.
Another fascinating tidbit for me was that the very first F1 race at Hockenheim was held in 1970, won by Jochen Rindt. Although he was German, he grew up in Austria and raced under Austrian colors, so it was a semi-home victory. Tragically, he died in a crash at Monza a few races later, but by then, his lead in the championship was so substantial that no one could catch him. He remains the only posthumous world champion to this day.
The visitor center also features a highly advanced simulator—not just a screen, but a massive hemispherical display, with a seat that isn’t static. I didn’t feel like trying it, but I did grab a coffee before leaving. Being a Saturday, buses stopped running after 2 PM, so I had to walk back to the train station, which took about 30 minutes. Honestly, I don’t understand how these tracks near/in small towns manage during big events. (Actually, I do—endless traffic jams and long waits everywhere.)
If someone wants to visit a racetrack, I wouldn’t particularly recommend Hockenheimring, especially if you don’t speak German. Although it’s relatively easy to reach, there are far more interesting tracks out there (basically every other track I’ve visited so far). However, if it’s on your route or you’re in Stuttgart with half a day to spare, it’s not a bad program.
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