Hans von Stuck mainly raced in the pre-war era but took part in three grand prix after the formation of the Formula One championship in 1950. He started his career driving in hill-climbs in which he quickly became successful. Confident in his own abilities, he gained notoriety when he won an event driving backwards after reversing the gearbox in his car. His legendary status continued to grow when in 1926 when Count Szichy, an Austrian playboy, bet that Stuck's Austro-Daimler couldn't match his Bugatti for speed. Stuck accepted the bet on the condition that the prize was the Count's wife. Stuck won the wager and the new couple spent many happy years together until her death in 1931.

He was involved with the formation of the Auto Union racing team, funded by the German state when Adolf Hitler came to power. The team enjoyed success, but as it faced competition from Mercedes it demanded younger drivers and Stuck's influence waned. He was finally sacked in 1937 for, what he claims, was revealing his salary to fellow driver Bernd Rosemeyer. After the war he avoided the ban on German drivers in world motorsport by claiming Austrian nationality. In 1951 he fathered Hans-Jociam Stuck who, legend has it, he told the secrets of driving the daunting Nurburgring. Stuck Jnr was an expert at the circuit and raced in F1 in the 1970s but never won a race.