The Most Famous

RACING DRIVERS from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Racing Drivers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,080 Racing Drivers, 66 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 5th most number of Racing Drivers behind United States, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Racing Drivers of all time. This list of famous German Racing Drivers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Racing Drivers.

1. Michael Schumacher (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 73.88, Michael Schumacher is the most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 141 different languages on wikipedia.

Michael Schumacher (German: [ˈmɪçaːʔeːl ˈʃuːmaxɐ] ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis Hamilton); at the time of his retirement from the sport in 2012, he also held the records for the most wins (91), pole positions (68), and podium finishes (155)—which have since been broken by Hamilton—while he maintains the record for consecutive Drivers' Championships and number of total fastest laps (77), among others. Born to working-class parents, Schumacher started his racing career in karting. He won his first karting championship aged six in a kart built from discarded parts. After having enjoyed success in karting—such as winning the 1987 European karting championship—and in several single-seater series, Schumacher made a one-off Formula One appearance with Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix. He was signed by Benetton for the rest of the 1991 season, winning his first and second drivers' titles consecutively in 1994 and 1995 with the team. Schumacher moved to the struggling Ferrari team in 1996. During his first few years with the team, Schumacher lost out on the title in the final race of the season in 1997 and 1998, and suffered a broken leg from a brake failure in 1999. He and Ferrari won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, while breaking several records. After finishing third in 2005 and second in 2006, Schumacher retired from the sport, although he later made a brief return with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. Schumacher was noted for pushing his car to the very limit for sustained periods during races, a pioneering fitness regimen, and ability to galvanise teams around him. He and his younger brother Ralf are the only siblings to win races in Formula One and the first siblings to finish first and second in the same race, a feat they repeated in four subsequent races. Schumacher was twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title: first with Damon Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, and later with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix. Appointed UNESCO Champion for Sport in 2002, Schumacher has been involved in humanitarian projects and has donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014. He left the hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014.

2. Jochen Rindt (1942 - 1970)

With an HPI of 65.81, Jochen Rindt is the 2nd most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Karl Jochen Rindt (German: [ˈjɔxn̩ ˈʁɪnt]; 18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a German-born racing driver who competed with an Austrian licence during his career, despite having German and not Austrian citizenship. In 1970, he was killed during practice for the Italian Grand Prix and became the only driver to be posthumously awarded the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Rindt started motor racing in 1961. Switching to single-seaters in 1963, he was successful in both Formula Junior and Formula Two. In 1964, Rindt made his debut in Formula One at the Austrian Grand Prix, before securing a full drive with Cooper for 1965. After mixed results with the team, he moved to Brabham for 1968 and then Lotus in 1969. It was at Lotus that Rindt found a competitive car, although he was often concerned about the safety of the notoriously unreliable Lotus vehicles. He won his first Formula One race at the 1969 United States Grand Prix. He had a very successful 1970 season, mainly racing the revolutionary Lotus 72, and won five of the first nine races. In practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he spun into the guardrails after a failure on his car's brake shaft. Rindt was killed owing to severe throat injuries caused by his seat belt; he was pronounced dead while on the way to hospital. As his closest competitor Jacky Ickx was unable to score sufficient points in the remaining races of the season, Rindt was awarded the World Championship posthumously. Rindt left behind his wife, Nina, and a daughter, Natasha. Overall, he competed in 62 Grands Prix, winning six and achieving 13 podium finishes. He was also successful in sports car racing, winning the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans paired with Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250LM. Rindt was a popular figure in Austria and his success resulted in increased interest in motorsport and Formula One in particular. He hosted a monthly television show titled Motorama and set up a successful exhibition of racing cars in Vienna. During his time in Formula One, he was involved alongside Jackie Stewart in a campaign to improve safety in Formula One.

3. Walter Röhrl (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 61.53, Walter Röhrl is the 3rd most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Walter Röhrl (German pronunciation: [ˈvaltɐ ˈʁøːʁl] ; born 7 March 1947) is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW. Röhrl has scored 14 victories over his career, with his notable achievements including winning the World Rally Championship twice: in 1980 in a Fiat Abarth and in 1982 while driving for Opel. He has also competed in other forms of motorsport, such as endurance racing, winning in the GTP +3.0 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981 with the Porsche System team. Röhrl also set the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record in 1987 driving an Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2. He is often regarded as one of the greatest rally drivers of all time.

4. Wolfgang von Trips (1928 - 1961)

With an HPI of 59.82, Wolfgang von Trips is the 4th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ fɔn tʁɪps] ; 4 May 1928 – 10 September 1961), also simply known as Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, was a German racing driver. Nicknamed "Taffy" by friends and fellow racers, he was the son of a noble Rhineland family.

5. Rudolf Caracciola (1901 - 1959)

With an HPI of 59.79, Rudolf Caracciola is the 5th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola (30 January 1901 – 28 September 1959) was a German racing driver. He won the European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship, an unsurpassed three times. He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars, and once in Grand Prix cars. Caracciola raced for Mercedes-Benz during their original dominating Silver Arrows period, named after the silver colour of the cars, and set speed records for the firm. He was affectionately dubbed Caratsch by the German public, and was known by the title of Regenmeister, or "Rainmaster", for his prowess in wet conditions. Caracciola began racing while he was working as apprentice at the Fafnir automobile factory in Aachen during the early 1920s, first on motorcycles and then in cars. Racing for Mercedes-Benz, he won his first two Hillclimbing Championships in 1930 and 1931, and moved to Alfa Romeo for 1932, where he won the Hillclimbing Championship for the third time. In 1933, he established the privateer team Scuderia C.C. with his fellow driver Louis Chiron, but a crash in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix left him with multiple fractures of his right thigh, which ruled him out of racing for more than a year. He returned to the newly reformed Mercedes-Benz racing team in 1934, with whom he won three European Championships, in 1935, 1937 and 1938. Like most German racing drivers in the 1930s, Caracciola was a member of the Nazi paramilitary group National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK), but never a member of the Nazi Party. He returned to racing after the Second World War, but crashed in qualifying for the 1946 Indianapolis 500. A second comeback in 1952 was halted by another crash, in a sports car race in Switzerland. After he retired, Caracciola worked as a Mercedes-Benz salesman targeting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops stationed in Europe. He died in the German city of Kassel, after suffering liver failure. He was buried in Switzerland, where he had lived since the early 1930s. He is remembered as one of the greatest pre-1939 Grand Prix drivers, a perfectionist who excelled in all conditions. His record of six German Grand Prix wins remains unbeaten.

6. Jochen Mass (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 57.80, Jochen Mass is the 6th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Jochen Richard Mass (German pronunciation: [ˈjɔ.χn̩ ˈʁɪ.çaɐ̯t maːs]; born 30 September 1946) is a German former racing driver.

7. Sebastian Vettel (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 57.49, Sebastian Vettel is the 7th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 88 different languages.

Sebastian Vettel (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈfɛtl̩] ; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin. Vettel is one of the most successful drivers in Formula One history and has won four World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull. Vettel holds the record for being the youngest World Champion in Formula One, has the fourth-most race victories (53), third-most podium finishes (122), and fourth-most pole positions (57).Vettel started his Formula One career as a test driver for BMW Sauber in 2006, making a one-off racing appearance in 2007. As part of the Red Bull Junior Team, Vettel appeared for Toro Rosso later that year and was kept as a full-time driver for 2008, where he scored a victory in the Italian Grand Prix to become the then-youngest race winner. Vettel was promoted to Red Bull in 2009. With Red Bull, Vettel won four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013, the first of which made him the sport's youngest World Champion. In 2013, he set the then-record for the most consecutive race wins with nine. Vettel signed for Ferrari for 2015 replacing Fernando Alonso and became Mercedes' and Lewis Hamilton's closest challenger in two title fights in 2017 and 2018, although he finished both years as runner-up. He parted ways with Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season to race with Aston Martin for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, before retiring from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.

8. Ralf Schumacher (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 55.82, Ralf Schumacher is the 8th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver. He is the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, and the pair are the only siblings to each win Formula One races. Schumacher began karting at the age of three and achieved early success before making the transition to automobile racing in the German Formula Three Championship and the Formula Nippon series. He first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. Schumacher moved to the Williams team in 1999, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship that year. He won his first Grand Prix in 2001, en route to fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, and subsequently won five more races over the course of two years. Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005. His performance throughout 2006 and 2007 resulted in Schumacher leaving Formula One as a result of internal pressure. After leaving Formula One, Schumacher joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 2008, achieving minor success, and retired from motorsport at the end of 2012 to enter a managerial role within DTM, mentoring young drivers. He is now a co-commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.

9. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 55.16, Heinz-Harald Frentzen is the 9th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen (German pronunciation: [haɪ̯nt͡s ˈha.ʁalt ˈfʁeːn.t͡sn̩]; born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver. He competed in multiple disciplines including Sportscars, Formula One and DTM. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three. He finished runner-up in the 1997 Formula One World Championship.

10. Rolf Stommelen (1943 - 1983)

With an HPI of 55.00, Rolf Stommelen is the 10th most famous German Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Rolf Johann Stommelen (German pronunciation: [ʁɔlf ˈjoːhan ˈʃtoːmeln̩]; 11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races. One of the best endurance sports car racing drivers of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, Stommelen won the 24 Hours of Daytona four times: in 1968, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the Targa Florio in 1967 in a Porsche 910.

People

Pantheon has 76 people classified as German racing drivers born between 1901 and 2000. Of these 76, 44 (57.89%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German racing drivers include Michael Schumacher, Walter Röhrl, and Jochen Mass. The most famous deceased German racing drivers include Jochen Rindt, Wolfgang von Trips, and Rudolf Caracciola. As of April 2024, 10 new German racing drivers have been added to Pantheon including Hans Klenk, Klaus Ludwig, and Willi Heeks.