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By: Mark Glendenning | 19 hours ago


Three-time world champion Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70.

Nicknamed “The Rat”, the Austrian, who underwent a lung transplant nine months ago, was as famous for his recovery from a horrific accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix as he was for the world titles he won for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977, and then McLaren in 1984.

His death was confirmed in a statement from his family, which read in part:

“His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain a role model and a benchmark for all of us.”

A 25-time grand prix winner, Lauda’s career began with a touch of the entrepreneurial flair that would define his later years. In defiance of his family’s disapproval of his racing ambitions, he took out a bank loan to finance a ride in a Formula 2 March in 1971. That led to further estrangement but rising opportunities, starting with a slapdash Formula 1 program with March in 1972, and then – with the help of another bank loan – a move to BRM. Just a year later, he was signed by Ferrari on the recommendation of former BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni, and he repaid Enzo’s faith almost immediately with victory in the 1974 Spanish GP.

Silverstone, 1975. Image by LAT


In recent years his racing career has become defined largely by his battle with James Hunt for the 1976 title; a fight that was interrupted when he suffered extensive burns after his Ferrari crashed the Nurburgring and caught fire, trapping Lauda in the cockpit. He lost most of his right ear and his eyelids – the latter were later replaced through reconstructive surgery – and missed just two races before returning, still bandaged, at the Italian GP, where he finished fourth. Lauda ultimately fell short to Hunt that year, but the season was later recreated in the feature film Rush. Lauda bore the scars from the accident for the rest of his life, and took steps to mask them by always wearing a baseball cap – invariably carrying the logo of a sponsor.

An unsuccessful spell with Brabham prompted his retirement in 1979, upon which he turned his full attention to his airline, Lauda Air. He was tempted back into competition by McLaren in 1982, forging a relationship that lasted four years and delivered eight wins and a world title to go with the two he’d already won for Ferrari. He retired from racing at the end of 1985, this time for good.

Lauda sold his shares in his airline to Austrian Airlines in 1999, but remained connected to Formula 1 through consultancy and executive roles with Ferrari and Jaguar. In 2012, he was made non-executive chairman of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, and was involved in the negotiation to bring Lewis Hamilton into the fold from McLaren; a partnership that has since yielded four world championships.

Lauda is survived by his wife, Birgit, and his children Mathias, Lukas, Christoph, Max and Mia.

Image by Staley/LAT



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Racing world pays tribute to Niki Lauda

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By: Chris Medland 7 hours ago


Tributes have been pouring in from throughout the motorsport world following the death of Niki Lauda at the age of 70.

The three-time Formula 1 world champion passed away on Monday evening, nine months after undergoing a lung transplant. Many racing figures in Europe woke up to the news on Tuesday morning, and Ferrari – with which Lauda won titles in 1975 and 1977 – posted a short statement on social media:




Lauda’s third world championship came by just half a point in 1984 with McLaren, which issued a similar tweet (below), later followed by an additional tweet linking to an extended tribute, and another saluting Lauda’s famous rivalry with James Hunt.




Nico Rosberg worked with Lauda at Mercedes – where Rosberg won the 2016 drivers’ championship before immediately retiring – and wrote a note to the Austrian that he posted on his channels.

“Dear Niki, thank you for everything that you did for me,” Rosberg wrote. “I learned so much from you. Your passion, your fighting spirit, to never give up, your belief that you always meet twice in life, and even your patience with us youngsters. Myself and all of your 100 million fans around the world whom you also so strongly inspired to never give up in the hardest of times are thinking of you and your family and wish that you rest in peace.”

There were also tributes from rival F1 teams, including Renault:




Formula 1 chairman and CEO Chase Carey issued a statement on behalf of the sport, following the death of one of its most successful drivers. Lauda won 25 grands prix, and only five drivers – Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel – have bettered his record of three championships.

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Niki Lauda,” Carey said. “Formula 1 has lost not only one of the truly great exponents of the sport but also one of its heroes. His love of racing and the courage he demonstrated were simply extraordinary and he inspired so many fans. His passing is a great loss for the entire Formula 1 family and motorsport as a whole. All our thoughts go out to his family.”

FIA president and former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt described Lauda as “a hero of motor sport, who inspired me in my youth … he is a milestone in the history of F1.”

News of Lauda’s passing was felt throughout motorsport, with Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Simon Pagenaud saying the Austrian was his hero.

“Niki Lauda was a pure example of hard work pays off!” Pagenaud said. “He said he had a great ass and could feel everything the car was doing. My hero and I wish I was a Senna, but I often think I was born more like a Lauda! Thank you Niki for all that you gave the sport, sad you have left us.”

Lauda was also remembered by ACO president Pierre Fillon, who paid tribute to his spirit after the Austrian fought back from a serious crash at the Nurburgring in 1976 to race again just 40 days later.

“Motorsport involves machines, but it is about human endeavor more than anything,” Fillon said. “Some drivers make their mark on their discipline, some achieve greatness beyond the sport itself. Niki was one such driver. His attention to detail and fighting spirit was matched by his outstanding talent and admirable personality. His record is witness to that.

“He was also a great ambassador for motorsport and the values we uphold. He was a guide, a leader. To his son Mathias, a gifted endurance driver, and to all his loved ones, I offer my deepest sympathy at this most difficult time.”


Niki Lauda, Formula 1

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Racing world pays tribute to Niki Lauda

Image by Etherington/LAT


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By: Chris Medland 7 hours ago


Tributes have been pouring in from throughout the motorsport world following the death of Niki Lauda at the age of 70.

The three-time Formula 1 world champion passed away on Monday evening, nine months after undergoing a lung transplant. Many racing figures in Europe woke up to the news on Tuesday morning, and Ferrari – with which Lauda won titles in 1975 and 1977 – posted a short statement on social media:




Lauda’s third world championship came by just half a point in 1984 with McLaren, which issued a similar tweet (below), later followed by an additional tweet linking to an extended tribute, and another saluting Lauda’s famous rivalry with James Hunt.




Nico Rosberg worked with Lauda at Mercedes – where Rosberg won the 2016 drivers’ championship before immediately retiring – and wrote a note to the Austrian that he posted on his channels.

“Dear Niki, thank you for everything that you did for me,” Rosberg wrote. “I learned so much from you. Your passion, your fighting spirit, to never give up, your belief that you always meet twice in life, and even your patience with us youngsters. Myself and all of your 100 million fans around the world whom you also so strongly inspired to never give up in the hardest of times are thinking of you and your family and wish that you rest in peace.”

There were also tributes from rival F1 teams, including Renault:




Formula 1 chairman and CEO Chase Carey issued a statement on behalf of the sport, following the death of one of its most successful drivers. Lauda won 25 grands prix, and only five drivers – Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel – have bettered his record of three championships.

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Niki Lauda,” Carey said. “Formula 1 has lost not only one of the truly great exponents of the sport but also one of its heroes. His love of racing and the courage he demonstrated were simply extraordinary and he inspired so many fans. His passing is a great loss for the entire Formula 1 family and motorsport as a whole. All our thoughts go out to his family.”

FIA president and former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt described Lauda as “a hero of motor sport, who inspired me in my youth … he is a milestone in the history of F1.”

News of Lauda’s passing was felt throughout motorsport, with Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Simon Pagenaud saying the Austrian was his hero.

“Niki Lauda was a pure example of hard work pays off!” Pagenaud said. “He said he had a great ass and could feel everything the car was doing. My hero and I wish I was a Senna, but I often think I was born more like a Lauda! Thank you Niki for all that you gave the sport, sad you have left us.”

Lauda was also remembered by ACO president Pierre Fillon, who paid tribute to his spirit after the Austrian fought back from a serious crash at the Nurburgring in 1976 to race again just 40 days later.

“Motorsport involves machines, but it is about human endeavor more than anything,” Fillon said. “Some drivers make their mark on their discipline, some achieve greatness beyond the sport itself. Niki was one such driver. His attention to detail and fighting spirit was matched by his outstanding talent and admirable personality. His record is witness to that.

“He was also a great ambassador for motorsport and the values we uphold. He was a guide, a leader. To his son Mathias, a gifted endurance driver, and to all his loved ones, I offer my deepest sympathy at this most difficult time.”


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Mercedes mourns ‘irreplaceable' Lauda

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By: Chris Medland 8 hours ago


Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has paid tribute to non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, who died on Monday at the age of 70.

Lauda, who died peacefully on Monday evening, spent 10 days in hospital battling influenza in January, and underwent a lung transplant last August. In a truly remarkable racing career, the Austrian won three world titles and battled back from a life-threatening crash at the Nurburgring in 1976 to compete 40 days after being read the last rites.

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Niki Lauda 1949 – 2019

More recently, Lauda had served as non-executive chairman to the Mercedes team, and Wolff says his impact on a personal and professional level was unmatched.

“First of all, on behalf of the team and all at Mercedes, I wish to send our deepest condolences to Birgit, Niki’s children, his family and close friends,” Wolff said.

“Niki will always remain one of the greatest legends of our sport – he combined heroism, humanity and honesty inside and outside the cockpit.

“His passing leaves a void in Formula 1. We haven’t just lost a hero who staged the most remarkable comeback ever seen, but also a man who brought precious clarity and candor to modern Formula 1. He will be greatly missed as our voice of common sense.

“Our Mercedes team has also lost a guiding light. As a team-mate over the past six and a half years, Niki was always brutally honest – and utterly loyal. It was a privilege to count him among our team and moving to witness just how much it meant to him to be part of the team’s success. Whenever he walked the floor in Brackley and Brixworth, or delivered one of his famous motivational speeches, he brought an energy that nobody else could replicate.

“Niki, you are quite simple irreplaceable, there will never be another like you. It was our honor to call you our chairman – and my privilege to call you my friend.”


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Lauda tribute set for Monaco GP

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By: Chris Medland | 3 hours ago


Formula 1 will hold a number of tributes to Niki Lauda on Sunday at the Monaco Grand Prix, including making the in-lap an opportunity for fans to honor the three-time world champion.

Lauda passed away on Monday at the age of 70, with his health declining since a double lung transplant last year. The Mercedes non-executive chairman was still a big presence in the paddock until last summer but had been absent since, and F1 has now announced plans to honor one of the sport’s greats on Sunday.

There will be a minute’s silence on the starting grid at 2:53 p.m. ahead of the national anthem, while all 20 drivers — who usually line up at the front of the grid for each race — will be joined by a number of people who played a special role in Lauda’s career, with each of them holding a red cap in memory of the Austrian.

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The teams, race organizers, FIA and F1 are also encouraging fans to use the in-lap to pay their own tributes, asking them to wear red hats or create banners, while also suggesting the yachts in the harbor sound their klaxons after the checkered flag. The sport wants fans to do “anything appropriate to honor the memory of one of the sport’s true heroes.”

Mercedes has also unveiled an extra tribute to Lauda that it will run on Saturday and Sunday, painting the Halo on both of its cars red. The team had already turned a star on its engine cover red and is carrying the message ‘Danke Niki’ on the nose, a similar message also appearing on many other cars this weekend.




Monaco, Niki Lauda, Formula 1

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F1 figures turn out for Lauda mass in Vienna
Image by Glenn Dunbar/LAT




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By: Chris Medland | 9 hours ago


A number of key figures from Formula 1 have joined thousands of fans in paying their respects as three-time world champion Niki Lauda is laid to rest in Vienna.

Lauda passed away last week at the age of 70, with F1 paying tribute to the former Mercedes non-executive chairman throughout the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, including a minute of silence before the race from the drivers wearing red caps in Lauda’s memory (pictured). Lewis Hamilton joined Sebastian Vettel in wearing Lauda’s helmet design, as the pair finished first and second in Sunday’s race.

“I wore Niki’s helmet colors and I didn’t want to let him down,” Hamilton said. “He was close to my heart, I was determined not to crack under the pressure.”

Today, thousands of mourners were able to file past Lauda’s coffin — topped with his racing helmet — after it was placed in St Stephen’s cathedral in the Austrian capital. Following that, hundreds attended a Requiem Mass, where the likes of Hamilton, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, Nico Rosberg, Alain Prost, Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Helmut Marko and Gerhard Berger were present.

Lauda’s coffin was then carried from the cathedral ahead of a smaller private burial ceremony later on Wednesday, with crowds braving the rain outside to pay their respects.

The Austrian — who won two drivers’ championships with Ferrari in 1975 and 1977, and one with McLaren in 1984 — remained a large presence in the paddock as a result of his more recent work as a pundit with German television and in his Mercedes role, helping the team win five consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championship doubles since 2014.

Mercedes will carry a red star on the engine cover of its F1 car from now on in memory of Lauda, a tribute it ran in Monaco.