Women of the Nürburgring

Nestled in the mountains of Nürburg, Germany, there is a racetrack. Spanning 20.832 kilometres, “The Green Hell” pushes drivers through an official 73 corners – though this is debated, some saying there are over 170 turns – including the famous Karusell and pulls them through more than 300 metres of elevation changes. Notoriously unforgiving, this track tests the grit and skill of every driver who dares place rubber down on its asphalt. This is the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and these are some of the women who have faced its trials.

Sabine Schmitz

Credit: Nürburgring

Known as “The Queen of the Nürburgring”, Sabine Schmitz is one of the biggest names in the history of the Nürburgring – and she didn’t get this reputation for any small reason. Schmitz was known for conquering The Ring in ways that nobody else could. Blistering lap times and an intimate understanding of how to navigate the twists and turns of the track made her stand out, and resulted in her becoming the first woman to win the 1996 24-hour race hosted by the Nürburgring – which remains an annual staple.

Her raw skill behind the wheel and charismatic personality were displayed on television shows, most famously on the BBC’s “Top Gear”. Schmitz was also known as “the fastest taxi driver in the world” as she was unafraid to drag her passengers along with her as she flew alongside the forest that surrounds the Nordschleife.

Born on May 14th, 1969, Schmitz grew up just a few hundred metres from The Ring at her parents' hotel. She told the BBC that her earliest memory of the Nordschleife was riding around in the back of her fathers Ford Granada. Sadly, Schmitz passed away in March of 2021 at 51 years of age, but she lives on in the hearts and minds of countless fans, drivers, and those who were inspired by her to try their hand – and foot – around the notorious “Green Hell”.

Pippa Mann

Credit: Swoosh Communications

Pippa Mann is most well known for her showings in both the Indy Lights and IndyCar series in North America, setting a multitude of new records for women in North American open-wheel racing. Most poles held by a female driver in an Indy Lights season in 2010, Indy Lights race winner, Indy Lights pole at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying and racing in multiple showings of the Indianapolis 500 – the list goes on!

Mann flew along the Nürburgring Nordschleife with Girls Only WS – a team composed entirely of women – from 2020 to 2024. The talented driver piloted her Giti Tire car in three 24 hours of Nürburgring races from 2021 to 2024, finishing first in 2021, third in 2022, second in 2023, and third again in 2024 – all in her respective classes! 

Aside from the time she spends at various tracks, Mann is also a figure-head of Shift Up Now, an organisation that strives to provide funding, sponsors, and opportunities for multiple female racers across the globe. She has devoted countless hours to researching the financial disparities between men and women in motorsport, and continues to push for further equality in the world of motorsports.

Girls Only BY WS Racing

Credits: Dominik Zieris / Girls Only by WS Racing (left to right: Carrie Schreiner, Fabienne Wohlwend, Janina Schall)

Carrie Schreiner

While most fans know Carrie Schreiner from her years in F1 Academy, the driver is most at home behind the wheel of a GT car. Schreiner began karting in 2010, moving to Formula 4 in 2015 and 2016 before moving away from open-wheel racing. The driver had multiple impressive showings in different regional Lamborghini Super Trofeo championships. Coming into F1 Academy in 2023 and 2024, Schreiner was atypical in that she was used to endurance races instead of the shorter open-wheel races.

Schreiner started racing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie in 2020, finishing third in the SP8 class. She has raced the Nordschleife almost every year since then, only taking a brief break in 2023 as she raced her first season in F1 Academy.

Fabienne Wohlwend

Fabienne Wohlwend’s first step into open-wheel racing Formula 4 for the 2016 season before moving into touring cars from 2017 to 2019. The driver returned to open-wheel racing in 2019 for W Series, achieving multiple front-row starts, including pole at Misano. She returned there in 2021 and 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wohlwend began her Nürburgring career in 2021, and has had some very impressive showings! She came into the 2021 Nürburgring 24 hours as a replacement for Pippa Mann and Christina Nielsen, and ended up winning her class, which kicked off her Nordschleife career. Wohlwend has raced in the NLS since then, and joins Carrie Schreiner and Janina Schall this year with Girls Only by WS Racing!

Janina Schall

Janina Schall is only 19 years old, but she’s already making a name for herself at the Nürburgring! She started karting in 2013, and has become champion and vice-champion of multiple karting championships. In 2024, the young driver drove at the FIA Motorsport Games in the Kart Endurance category, coming in 10th place.

In 2023, Schall made her touring car debut under the Rennsport Club Nürburgring, racing in a Porsche Cayman V5. She continued racing in the V5 class the following year with four additional showings with the Girls Only team, securing second place at NLS 3 and winning at NLS 6! Schall officially joins the Girls Only by WS Racing team for the first round of the 2025 NLS season.

The team ran a highly impressive first race on March 22, running in P2 before it all came to an untimely end with just one hour left on the clock after their BMW M4 GT4 EVO experienced technical issues, forcing them to retire.

Credit: BMW Group

While motorsport as a whole is still a patriarchal, male-dominated field, this mighty racetrack deep in the Eifel mountains doesn’t discriminate on the basis of sex nor gender. Individuals from countless different backgrounds visit the Ring everyday, and its history – or, perhaps, her-story – is far from being over. 

The Nürburgring Nordschleife is regarded as one of the most – if not the most – dangerous and deadly racetracks in the world. Women have thrived on all 73 official corners of the Green Hell and will continue to do so in increasing numbers for the rest of the track’s life.