Born in Leipzig, Saxony, Kirchhöfer began karting in 1999 and mainly raced in Germany, working his way up from the junior ranks (Bambini-B) to the KF2 category by 2010. In 2011, he won the German Kart Championship (KF1), winning all five final races.[1]
ADAC Formel Masters - 2012
2012 saw his debut in the ADAC Formel Masters championship with Lotus.[2] He was able to win the first race in Oschersleben[3] and scored two wins from pole position at the following race weekend in Zandvoort.[4] He finished the season with a perfect round at the Hockenheim with 2 poles, 3 fastest laps and 3 wins in the 3 races. He won the championship in his debut year with 9 wins and 329 points.
German Formula 3 - 2013
In 2013 Kirchhöfer debuted in the German Formula 3 Championship. He dominated the series, taking 25 podiums in 26 races, including 13 wins. He finished on 511 points with second place, team-mate Artem Markelov, on less than 350. His only non podium finish was a 4th place in the 2nd race of the year. He also set the fastest race lap in 17 of the races. His team Lotus won the team's championship while Kirchhöfer won the rookie cup with only 4 races not finishing as the best rookie.
GP3 Series
In 2014, Kirchhöfer debuted in the series with ART Grand Prix. He remained with the team for two seasons, finishing with two consecutive third places and accumulating six wins and fifteen podiums.
GP2 Series
In March 2016, it was announced Kirchhöfer would graduate to GP2 with Carlin.[5]
In July 2023, the McLaren Solus GT made its dynamic debut at the 30th Goodwood Festival of Speed. During the timed shootout, Kirchhöfer set the fastest time in the Solus GT, finishing the hillclimb in 45.34 seconds.[7] This made him the first German driver to win the shootout since Nick Heidfeld in 1999.