Who is Niki Lauda wife Birgit Wetzinger? The Formula 1 racing legend was a three time F1 World Driver’s Champion.
Niki Lauda, full name Andreas Nikolaus Lauda, was a Formula One racing driver from Australia. Besides racing, he was also an aviation entrepreneur.
In his decorated racing career, Niki won F1 World Driver’s Championship three times: 1975, 1977, and 1984. Still, to this date, he holds the record of being the only driver in F1 history to win championships for both Ferrari and McLaren.
He was the founder of three airlines Lauda Air, Niki, and Lauda. After retiring as a driver, he briefly worked as a consultant for Scuderia Ferrari and as a Jaguar Formula One racing team manager.
Lauda then worked as a TV pundit for German TV during Grand Prix weekends and also became the non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.
His legendary rivalry with James Hunt(1947-1993), a British racing driver, was portrayed in the 2013 movie Rush, where Daniel Brühl played him.
Formula 1: Niki Lauda Wife Birgit Wetzinger
Birgit Wetzinger, the seceond wife of Niki Lauda, met the Formual One legend during his airlines busisness.
Birgit was one of the flight attendants in one of Lauda’s Airlines and according to the Sun, the pair started dating in 2004. They got married in 2005.
(Mirror):How #Niki #Lauda’s flight attendant wife, 30 years his junior, saved his life in 2005 : Formula One star Niki Lauda’s wife, Birgit Wetzinger, then 26, donated one of her kidneys to him after a previous transplant failed .. https://t.co/6QBpAKsv0w pic.twitter.com/LAAfY4Sxfc
— NewsOnePlace.com (@newsoneplace) May 21, 2019
Wetzinger, 30 years younger than Niki, donated her kidney to the Formula One legend back in 2005. “She is a hero. To show affection to someone is one thing, but to donate an organ is something else entirely,” said Lauda in an interview.
She was only 26 years old when she donated the organ to him. “She did the test, and she did fit. For about three months she gave me always the same impression, ‘I do it for you because I love you. She was never frightened or asked any questions, it was just a pure approach ‘I will do it”
Niki Lauda Had Two Kids From His First Marriage
Niki Lauda, from his first marriage with Marlene Knaus, had two kids. Their names are Mathias and Lukas.
Niki Lauda and James Hunt’s sons are slated to race together in NASCAR. Call it Rush: Generations. pic.twitter.com/h8tUllf0lT
— Circuit of The Americas (@COTA) October 5, 2015
Mathia is a racing driver who currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the Aston Martin Racing team. Niki, the youngest son, Lukas, was Mathia’s manager previously.
And, from his second marriage with Birgit Wetzinger, he had two children Mia Lauda and Max Lauda.
What Was Niki Lauda Death Cause? Car Crash Accident
Niki Lauda’s death cause was due to natural causes. At the age of 70, on May 20, 2019, he died in his sleep, at the University Hospital of Zurich.
Talking about his car crash, the accident is still talked about to this day which disfigured him completely. In the 1976 Grand Prix, Niki suffered a nearly life-ending accident, causing severe burns to his head. Similarly, he also inhaled toxic gases that affected his internal organs, including his lungs.
This is the crash that left Niki Lauda seriously injured at the 1976 German Grand Prix.
The @F1 legend has died at the age of 70 – read more about his life here: https://t.co/dO4vXOQ4E9 pic.twitter.com/ViuTgPgdSz
— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 21, 2019
The accident led him to a coma where he was given last rites; however, he survived and underwent extensive plastic surgery.