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FORMULA One has been mourning the loss of three-time world champion Niki Lauda who passed away at the age of 70.
The legendary Austrian had a lung transplant last August and had been struggling with bouts of ill health.
He is one of the best-known figures in motor sport and took the F1 title for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977 and McLaren in 1984.
However, he will be remembered most for the remarkable bravery and resilience he showed in recovering from a fiery crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the fearsome Nurburgring.
Lauda, leading the World Championship, suffered third-degree burns to his head and face that left him scarred for life, inhaled toxic gases that damaged his lungs and received the last rites in hospital.
Yet he returned to racing just 40 days later – finishing fourth in the Italian Grand Prix. By the end of the race, his unhealed wounds had soaked his fireproof balaclava in blood. When he tried to remove the balaclava, he found it was stuck to his bandages, and had to resort to ripping it off in one go.
It was one of the bravest acts in the history of sport.
Lauda had been warning for some time that the circuit was too dangerous for F1. Its 14 miles twisting through the Eifel mountains meant the emergency services were stretched too far, he said, and any driver who had a serious crash was therefore at a disproportionately high risk in an era that was already regarded as extremely dangerous.
Lauda carried the scars, including a mostly missing right ear, for the rest of his life and always had a matter-of-fact approach to his disfigurement. It didn’t bother him, he said, and if others felt differently, that was their problem.
The accident came at a time when Lauda appeared to be cruising to a second consecutive world title for Ferrari, and his determination to return was founded in his desire to shore up a lead that was rapidly diminishing in his absence from competition, under assault from British McLaren driver James Hunt.
The compelling narrative of that season was effectively the kick-start for F1’s current global popularity. The storyline had something for everyone – the ascetic Austrian racing driver-cum-engineer, renowned for his clinical approach and lack of emotions, driving for Ferrari; the handsome, playboy Englishman for McLaren. Lauda’s crash and awe-inspiring recovery only added to the drama.
By the final round in Japan, Lauda was only three points ahead, and when race day brought torrential rain, he pulled out after two laps, saying it was too dangerous.
Lauda admitted he was ‘panic-stricken’ – feelings rooted in his crash – but later said he regretted the decision. Ferrari remonstrated with him and tried to convince him to race, but he refused, and Hunt took the third place he needed to win the title by one point.
Their battle has been turned into a Hollywood film, the excellent Rush, which takes some liberties with the truth about Lauda’s personal relationships – particularly with Hunt – but carries extra emotional weight in the wake of his passing last Monday.
After retiring, Lauda formed his airline Lauda Air, and was still involved in various projects in Formula One. None were more important than in September 2012 when he was appointed a non-executive director of the Mercedes F1 team.
Lauda played a key role in the signing of Lewis Hamilton to replace Schumacher at the end of 2012. As Mercedes and Hamilton dominated the sport in the era of turbo hybrid engines, Lauda attended races and acted as an adviser to the team.
Hamilton summed it up best with a heartfelt post on social media and sporting the words ‘Niki, we miss you’ in his car at Monaco: “I’m struggling to believe you are gone. I will miss our conversations, our laughs, the big hugs after winning races together. God rest your soul. Thank you for being a bright light in my life. I’ll always be here for your family should they ever need me. Love you man.”
Lauda was a regular, familiar personality when the Formula One roadshow rolled into Bahrain, often standing to chat with local reporters and fans covering the race at Sakhir, although in recent seasons it was clear his health was starting to fail. We’ll all miss him too.
