Finely Tuned - Niki Lauda

Nicholas Andreas Lauda was born in Vienna on February 22, 1949 into a prominent Austrian business and banking dynasty. Paper manufacturing was how Niki’s father made his fortune, though none of it would be made available for a contrary son who would surely bring the respected Lauda name into disrepute by playing at being a racing driver. To further educate himself in this field Niki forsook university and enrolled himself in racing’s school of hard knocks, paying for it with money borrowed from Austrian banks. Starting in a Mini in 1968, he then made it through Formula Vee and Formula Three and in 1972 he bought his way into the March Formula teams with another bank loan secured by his life insurance policy.

Niki Lauda started his racing career in hillclimb racing with an original Mini

The uncompetitive Marches meant Niki was unable to prove his worth as a driver. Left alone facing bankruptcy. With no qualifications in any other line of work he had no choice but to keep on racing. For 1973 he negotiated his way into a complicated deal with BRM. (As we saw in the RUSH movie) Niki completely modified the car’s set up, making his car faster than his teammate’s, Clay Regazzoni During that season his improving results paid dividends in the form of a new contract that would forgive his debts in exchange for Niki driving for BRM for a further two years.

Lauda made his F1 debut driving one of the oddest looking cars the series has ever seen, the March 711

Lauda then moved to BRM where he proved himself a genius seting up the cars

Lauda payed his way out of BRM with money from his new employer, Enzo Ferrari, for whom he went to work in 1974. Ferrari, who hadn’t had a champion since John Surtees in 1964, was impressed by the skinny, buck-toothed Austrian’s self-confidence and no-nonsense work ethic, though rather taken aback by his brutal honesty. After his first test in the 1974 Ferrari 312 Niki informed Enzo that the car was “a piece of sh*t,” but promised him he could make it raceworthy. Now in the spotlight as a possible Ferrari saviour, the media noted Lauda’s cool, calculating clinical approach and nicknamed him ‘The Computer.’

In 1974, Niki and his teammate Regazzoni got a deal with Ferrari, and left BRM to drive in the Scuderia

However, The Computer’s driving still had some issues and he made several costly mistakes in 1974. Niki said that learning from mistakes was the fastest way to improve, corroborating this theory with a first Formula One victory in Spain, then another in Holland.

Lauda may have been nicknamed "the computer", but his driving style still had flaws.

In his 1975 Ferrari 312/T Niki stormed to victories in Monaco, Belgium, Sweden, France and the USA to become World Champion. All of Italy rejoiced at Ferrari’s first driving title in over a decade, though the glory meant little to the unsentimental new hero. Claiming that his mounting collection of “useless” trophies was cluttering up his home in Austria, he gave them to the local garage in exchange for free car washes.

In 1975, Lauda won his first drivers championship. Ferrari's first championship win in over a decade.

Now, we get to the year that gave F1 one of the best rivalries the series has ever seen. Niki Lauda vs James Hunt.
By mid-summer 1976 he had won five races and seemed a shoo-in to repeat as champion. Then came the German Grand Prix, at the infamous Nurburgring. On the second lap, the suspension in Lauda’s Ferrari inexplicably broke. Lauda lost control of the car and crashed, the red car then bursted into flames. Four brave drivers and a marshal plunged into the towering inferno and hauled out the smouldering body. In hospital, with first to third degree burns on his head and wrists, several broken bones and lungs scorched from inhaling toxic fumes, Niki Lauda was given up for dead and administered the last rites by a priest.

Six weeks later, with blood seeping from the bandages on his head, he finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix. Astonished doctors said he had recovered by sheer force of will. Jackie Stewart said it was the most courageous comeback in the history of sport. Niki said the loss of half an ear made it easier to use the telephone. In consideration of those who found his facial disfigurement unsightly he thereafter wore a red baseball cap, hiring it out to a sponsor for a good price. The 1976 championship ended in a showdown between Niki and McLaren’s James Hunt at Japan’s Fuji circuit in torrential rain. Niki decided it was too dangerous to race and pulled out, handing the title to his friend Hunt, who said Niki’s withdrawal was an act of bravery. In Italy some called him a coward. Even Enzo Ferrari had doubts and made plans to replace him, a reaction that angered Niki and made his winning the 1977 driving title a form of revenge. Having clinched the championship with two races remaining, Niki decided to skip them and told Ferrari he was leaving. Enzo called him a traitor for moving to Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team.

Lauda vs Hunt is still one of the greatest rivalries F1 has ever seen. At the end of the season, it was said that one day someone will do a movie about it. This became true in 2013

In his 1978 season with Brabham Niki won twice and finished fourth in the championship. The next year, in an uncompetitive car, he had scored only four points prior to the penultimate race, in Canada. There, after the first practice session, he walked away from Formula One racing, saying he was “tired of driving around in circles” and would now start his own airline.

After 2 years in Brabham, Lauda "retired" from F1 rcing.

Lauda Air, with its owner serving as one of the pilots, grew to the point that further progress would require more capital, in pursuit of which Niki returned to his previous profession. In 1982 he signed with McLaren for a reported US$5 million. In his negotiations Niki told McLaren he was only charging one dollar for his services as a driver, all the rest was for his personality. In 1984, when the races where being dominated by the TAG-McLarens, he won his third driving title, beating Alain Prost by the smallest points difference until today, HALF a point. Niki won a final Grand Prix in 1985 and then retired from the sport for good, though he never really left the paddock.

In 1984, he won his last world title. He retired the next year.

He worked as an adviser for Ferrari, served as a Jaguar team principal and became a television commentator - a role for which he was uniquely qualified to provide insights into the highs and lows of the sport he was lucky to survive and brilliant enough to conquer. Prior to the 2013 season Niki Lauda added yet more titles to his extensive collection when he became Non-Executive Chairman of the Mercedes F1 team, board member of Mercedes AMG Powertrains and special adviser to the Board of Daimler AG.

After his retirement, Lauda continued working in F1 and still does today, as Mercedes non-Executive Chairman

Niki was also awarded the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1977, and International Racing Driver Award in 1984, as well as the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He remains the only driver to have won a championship with both most important F1 teams, Ferrari and McLaren.

Alfa Romeo released a special edition of one of their cars in honor to Lauda.

Lauda's story inspired many racing drivers. Ayrton Senna once said Niki was who inspired him to race.

Despite his aparent coldness, Niki became a friend to many other racing drivers. Seen here with Piquet and Prost

Beneath his rivalry with Hunt, as in all rivalries, lied a great friendship

He is still a very loved member of the F1 paddock

So guys, that was the story of Niki Lauda, one of my favorite F1 drivers. I hope you have liked it. Tell me, did you like Lauda’s story?, what do you think about his rivalry with Hunt? Leave your opinions/questions in the comments :)

So guys, that was the end of this article, if you have read until this point then thank you very much, I really appreciate it and hope you liked it :)

That was all guys
F1Trooper out.