Niki Lauda is one of the most successful Formula One driver of all time. He is the only driver to have been the champion of two of the sport’s most successful manufacturers, McLaren and Ferrari. In 1979 he survived death by driving his Ferrari around the Nürburgring during the German Grand Prix. Since then, he has won the F1 Drivers’ World Champion award three times in his career. Since retiring from sport, he has successfully founded and managed three airlines (Laudamotion, Lauda Air and Niki). In addition, during Grand Prix weekends, he works as a pundit for German television. Other interesting career and family facts below.
Niki Lauda – Biography, Age
Nikolaus “Niki” Lauda was born in Vienna, Austria on February 22, 1949. Interestingly, he was born into a wealthy family. Due to his social status at birth, his dreams of becoming a runner are not supported by his family. Nevertheless, he nevertheless pursues a career in racing. Normally in Central Europe, racers start with the Mini, as he did, before moving on to Formula Vee. Later, Niki advanced to driving Chevron sports cars and private Porsches. In this process, his career seemed to slow down as he was not getting the desired result he had originally envisioned. He then decided to apply for a bank loan of £30,000 which he managed to obtain through a life insurance policy.
This loan could have been obtained easily from his family but because he had problems with their choice of career, he had to find funds elsewhere. Thanks to this loan, Niki Lauda was able to buy a place in March’s novice team as a Formula Two (F2) driver in 1971.
Ferrari experience and near death
In 1972 he was promoted to the F1 team where he drove for March in F1 and F2. In 1974 his former teammate Clay Ragazzoni recommended him to Enzo Ferrari (Ferrari team owner). This high recommendation caused Ferrari to quickly sign Niki Lauda, which helped him settle all his previous debts. In his first race for Ferrari at the Argentine Grand Prix, he finished second. Three races later, in the Spanish Grand Prix, he won the race. This in turn would mark his first-ever victory, the first for Ferrari since 1972.
In 1995, with a third place, he got his first victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Monz. The tragedy almost happened on August 1, 1976, when he was involved in an accident during the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. His car caught fire after hitting an embankment on the track. As he was stuck in the debris, he inhaled toxic fumes and suffered severe burns to his head before being pulled out. The incident left the right side of her hair and ear badly burned. As a result of which, he wears a cap at all times during his public appearances and has also taken the opportunity to wear branded caps from the companies that support him over the years.
Fortunately, the bloody accident did not end his career, just six months after undergoing minor reconstructive surgery. He would go on to win his second Drivers’ Championship title at the United States Grand Prix. After several years of successful career, he decided to retire in 1979 and created his first airline, Lauda Air. He later returned to racing in 1982 and won his last championship title in 1984, bringing his total of titles to three.
Personal life – wife and children
Besides his sports career, Niki Lauda is also a family man. Early in his career, Niki married his first wife, Marlene Knaus. Together they welcomed two sons, Mathias Lauda and Lukas Lauda. During the marriage, Lauda cheated on Marlene and this extramarital affair resulted in a son named Christoph Lauda. Sadly, this led to their separation, as their divorce was finalized in 1991 after fifteen years of marriage. He would later remarry, but not until 2008. This time he married a former flight attendant, Birgit Wetzinger, a woman who is also 30 years younger than him. The following year, in September, Birgit gave birth to twins, a boy named Max and a girl named Mia.
When Niki Lauda was ill and needed another kidney transplant due to the failure of the kidney he received from his brother in 1997, his wife Birgit tenderly gave up one of her own to save him. On August 2, 2018, in his native Austria, he successfully underwent a lung transplant.
Size weight
As in most sports, athletes must be in the best of health, especially if they intend to compete at their best. Some sports may require specific body structures or weights, while others are purely skill-based. With Formula 1, the skill of a rider is much more valued than the aesthetic aspect of the functionalities. While there is nothing wrong with having a tall height and a fitted body, which can come in handy during interviews or endorsement deals other than these, competence is an absolute necessity in the sports niche. Nonetheless, with Niki Lauda’s skill as a pilot, he stands at an average height of 1.7m (5ft 7in) and maintains a healthy weight of 65kg (143lbs), even after so many rides. years.