Nürburgring

Carved through the forests and hills of the Eifel mountains and opened in 1927, the Nürburgring is one of motor racing's most storied and most feared venues. Its original Nordschleife — the 22.8-kilometre "Northern Loop" with more than 170 corners and constant elevation change — earned the nickname "The Green Hell" from Jackie Stewart. The German Grand Prix was held there almost every year from 1951, and the circuit became the ultimate test of driver bravery and machinery in the post-war era.

By the mid-1970s the Nordschleife's length and remoteness made it impossible to marshal safely. Niki Lauda's near-fatal fiery crash in 1976 marked the last World Championship race on the old loop. The Grand Prix moved away, and a modern, much shorter and far safer GP-Strecke circuit was built next to the old start area, opening in 1984. It went on to host the German, European and Luxembourg Grands Prix at various times, and most recently the one-off Eifel Grand Prix in 2020 during the pandemic-rearranged calendar.

Across both layouts the Nürburgring has hosted 41 World Championship rounds, threading a line from the heroic 1950s through to the modern era, and it remains a place of pilgrimage for motorsport fans worldwide.