F1 returns to iconic Nurburgring circuit for all-important test

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F1 returns to iconic Nurburgring circuit for all-important test

The Nurburgring has not held an F1 race since 2020

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 3 April 2026 16:45 Updated: 20:13

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F1 is set to return to the Nurburgring for the first time since 2020, in a special event later this month.

While the 2026 season is officially taking a five-week break following the cancellations of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix due to the war in the Middle East, we will still get to see some cars out on track in April.

And that's because of a Pirelli dry-tyre test that will be conducted on April 14 and April 15, with Mercedes and McLaren set to run at the Nurburgring Circuit.

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The test continues on from a test run that was conducted by Red Bull and Racing Bulls at the Suzuka International Circuit following the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend.

Ferrari are also due to conduct a wet-tyre test at the Fiorano track on April 9 and 10, as Pirelli seek to make use of this unplanned break from F1 racing action.

All of this testing has been moved to European tracks because of the logistics of travelling to the Middle East at the moment, and the Bahrain Pirelli tyre test that was scheduled for the start of March was cancelled even before news came through about the two race cancellations.

The Nurburgring in Germany is an iconic circuit, with the 5.148-kilometre modern-day configuration featuring a varied layout with 17 corners, generous run-off areas and a modern digital infrastructure which includes a state-of-the-art digital track monitoring system which looks over both the Grand Prix and Nordschleife circuits.

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When is the next F1 race?

Following the cancellation of both of April's two scheduled race weekends due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 now takes a five-week break until the Miami GP weekend at the start of May.

F1 legend Martin Brundle recently described that upcoming race as 'one of the biggest relaunches in the history of Formula 1'.

The Miami GP weekend begins on Friday May 1 and is a sprint weekend, so we will see FP1 and sprint qualifying on that first Friday in May.

Saturday May 2 then sees the sprint race before attention will switch to the grand prix with grand prix qualifying later on the Saturday, and the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 3 with a lights out time of 4pm local time (9pm BST).

When did F1 last race at the Nurburgring?

The most recent F1 race to have taken place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife was the 1976 German Grand Prix, which was won by James Hunt.

However, F1 has raced on the modern circuit layout since then, regularly between 2009-2013 and again in 2020 for the Eifel GP as part of the COVID-hit F1 season.

That race in October 2020 was won by Lewis Hamilton on his way to claiming a seventh world championship title.

F1 Nürburgring German Grand Prix