The invention relates to a process for preparing racemic metallocene complexes by reacting transition metal complexes with cyclopentadienyl derivatives of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals and heating the reaction mixture obtained in this way to a temperature in the range from −78 to 250° C., to the corresponding metallocene complexes themselves and to their use as catalysts or as constituents of catalysts for the polymerization of olefinically unsaturated compounds or as reagents or catalysts in stereoselective synthesis.