10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE MYTHICAL DRIVER NIKI LAUDA
Previously we told you about 10 things about James Hunt, one of the Formula One drivers 1 most iconic of the 70s. Today we want to share with you 10 things about Niki Lauda, his eternal rival and also a friend. Lauda was an iconic driver during the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the best drivers in F1 history. He passed away on May 20, 2019, but his legend lives on. These are the 10 things you need to know about Niki Lauda:
1. HOW DID LAUDA'S PASSION FOR CARS COME ABOUT?
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda was born on February 22, 1949 in Vienna. Although his family was engaged in business and law, Lauda's passion for cars emerged very soon. At the age of 10 or 12, he would sneak into his grandfather's farm to race in a car and there he discovered what he liked about speed. In 1968, he decided to become a pilot against the will of his family. He started in Formula Vee, moved on to Formula 3 and thanks to a bank loan in 1971 he was able to start in European F2 with the March Racing team. That same year he made the leap to F1 and competed in the Austrian Grand Prix, his native country. He went through several teams: March, Marlboro-BRM and Ferrari, although the latter was the one that marked his career.
2. A RECORD OF CHAMPIONSHIP
Niki Lauda's record is to be framed. There are only ten drivers in history who have won three world titles in their career and he is one of them. Throughout his entire F1 career, Niki Lauda took the title of world champion three times: 1975, 1977 and 1984. He was the fourth driver to achieve this record, and it is that at that time he was only surpassed by Juan Manuel Fangio with his five titles. Not only has he been a three-time world champion, the driver has contested 171 grands prix, taking n 25 victories, 24 pole positions, 24 fastest laps and 54 podium finishes. However, despite his renowned racing career, what Lauda went down in history was not primarily for his triumphs on asphalt.
3. AN ACCIDENT THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE
On August 11, 1976, Niki Lauda experienced the worst of scenarios. In a race at the Nurburgring circuit, he suffered one of the most memorable accidents in history. It had rained and the asphalt was still wet. He had only been two laps into the race when he spun and lost control of his Ferrari. It crashed into the guardrail and, engulfed in flames, sped towards the runway. Niki suffered first and third degree burns to her face, head, and hands; His lungs were damaged, he lost his right ear... Arturio Merzario, the Italian driver who was behind him, seeing such a scenario, stopped his car. Together with Harald Ertl and Guy Edwards they did not hesitate for a moment and rushed to rescue him. Everything pointed to the worst, they came to give him the extreme unction. But his spirit made him survive. It may seem impossible, but only 40 days later we saw the driver again in his car, this time at the Monza circuit. The result was incredible: he was fourth. Six months later I was driving at an even higher level than before. He was away from racing for a period, although he missed only two Grands Prix. His eternal rival, James Hunt, took advantage of this moment to improve his position in the world championship and finished the circuit as third.
4. EXAMPLE OF OVERCOMING
If the accident suffered by Lauda impacted the entire world, her speedy recovery did even more. Just 40 days after the accident, after a reconstructive surgery that hadn't fully worked and with injuries not yet healed, we saw him at the Monza circuit. The result was incredible: he was fourth. He was away from racing for a very short time, only missing two Grand Prix. Just a year later, in 1977, Lauda won his second championship. But it would not be the last time; in 1984 he returned to win his third championship. It was the closest world championship in history. He beat his McLaren teammate Alain Prost by no more than half a point.
5. BUSINESS SHARK
Off the slopes, Niki Lauda also liked to succeed. In 1980 he would begin his business career, founding the Lauda Air airline with international flights from Austria and all over the world. The air market is a very turbulent and competent field and this airline went through many ups and downs, until in 2000 Lauda decided to leave the presidency and the following year he wanted to leave the company.
Two years later he launched into a new project and bought the subsidiary Aero-Lloyd, which he named Fly Niki . In 2018, Lauda bought Amira Air and named it Laudamotion. The Niki company was dissolved, and its operations were transferred to this new airline, along with 15 aircraft.
6.HIS LIFE TAKEN TO THE CINEMA
Lauda's accident caused so much excitement that a movie was made in 2013 inspired by it. Starring Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth, Rush is based on the 1976 F1 season, depicting the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt at the 1976 Grand Prix. It is considered one of the best 100 movies of all time by GQ magazine. But it was not the only film that was inspired by him, documentaries were also produced such as Gasoline (1984), Lauda: The Untold Story (2014) and Ferrari 312b
7. HE KNEW HOW TO TRANSMIT HIS PASSION
Personally, Niki Lauda had a very happy life. In 1975 he married his first wife Marlene Knaus and had three children: Lucas, Mathias and Christian. After 21 years of relationship they ended the marriage. In 2005, he married Birgit Wetzinger and had two more children: the twins Mia and Max, born in 2009. His son Mathias Lauda inherited his father's tastes and is also a racing driver.
8. HIS LIFE OFF THE TRACK
After a long career, Niki Lauda retired from the slopes in 1985. When he gave up cars, he turned to other businesses. He focused on the airline he had already created in 1975 and created a new one. But he not only dedicated himself to this business, he also wanted to continue working on his great passion: Formula 1. In 1993 Ferrari signed him as technical advisor and in 2001 he went to Jaguar. He also tried his hand at racing as a commentator on television, specifically on an Austro-German channel. Since 2012 he was technical advisor and shareholder of Mercedes. During his time at Mercedes, the team won 4 world titles: 3 for Hamilton and 1 for Nico Rosberg.
9. FROM CARS TO BOOKS
During his years as a pilot, Lauda wrote four books. They are all based on cars and F1. We leave them here, they are worth it!
- The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving (1977). A fairly technical book that explains what it takes to know how to drive an F1 car.
- My Years With Ferrari (1978). In it, he collects his years with the Ferrari team and tells what it is like to live the world of racing from within, and the demands of being in a team like Ferrari.
- The New Formula-1: A Turbo Age (1984). A 252-page book in which he shares what the new era of F1 is like.
- Niki Lauda. Meine Story (1986). The most personal of all. It recounts his entire life, his time working with Gordon Murray or Enzo Ferrari... But surprisingly, he doesn't dwell long on his 1976 accident.
10. A LEGACY TO LEARN FROM
Niki Lauda passed away at the age of 70 in May 2019, but he left us a legacy that continues to inspire thousands of young people to this day. It is an example of overcoming and leadership. He has left us phrases that we want to remember and with which we should stop to think. Among them: “you are the reason for almost everything that happens to you”, “if you win it is because you have done a good job, but that is not why you should stagnate; but start thinking about the next step”, “he who does not love you as you are, does not deserve to be remembered” or “you learn absolutely nothing from success, from mistakes and setbacks, yes”.
Although unfortunately Niki Lauda is no longer with us, we want to remember him for everything he has taught us. His inexhaustible enthusiasm, his perseverance, his frankness and his courage continue to be a role model and a reference for all.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- WHAT HAPPENED TO NIKI LAUDA?
In 1976, Niki Lauda suffered a terrible accident at the German Grand Prix and suffered burns on his face, lost his right ear, his lungs were damaged…
- HOW MANY WORLD TITLES DOES NIKI LAUDA HAVE?
Nike Lauda was world champion up to 3 occasions: 1975, 1977 and 1984.
- WHAT DID NIKI LAUDA AND JAMES HUNT RELATE?
Niki Lauda and James Hunt were great rivals in the 70s, but they both admired each other and a beautiful friendship developed between the two.
- HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR NIKI LAUDA TO RUN AGAIN AFTER THE ACCIDENT?
Just 40 days after the tragic accident, we were able to see Niki Lauda once again on his Ferrari and competing on the Monza circuit, Italy.
- WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FILM ABOUT NIKI LAUDA?
In 2013 the movie Rush was released, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl in which the accident he suffered and his rivalry with the pilot James Hunt is seen.
- WHAT DID NIKI LAUDA DO WHEN LEAVING F1?
In 1985, Niki Lauda retired and went into his airline business. In addition, he joined Ferrari as a technical advisor and also worked as a race commentator.
