Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (Vienna, February 22, 1949) is a former Austrian racing driver in Formula 1, then a businessman and founder of Niki Lauda Air and airlines, and sports manager.
It was three times World Champion in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and McLaren in 1984. He played 171 races, winning 25 and scoring 24 pole positions and as many laps.
Lauda had a very high level sporting career, driving in Formula 1 for the March, the BRM for Ferrari, Brabham and, finally, to McLaren. Together with riders such as Fangio, Moss, Clark, Stewart, Prost, Senna and Schumacher, is considered a champion of Formula 1.
He was nicknamed "The computer" because of his uncanny ability to identify, like a computer, all the flaws, even the youngest, who was driving the car and for the meticulousness with which to develop their own mechanical means (stated he preferred his backside to a pretty face, because he was convinced, rightly, that a particular car you drive "your butt"). To support this nickname, it also showed temperamentally cold, unemotional and very determined, especially in the eyes of those who were not in close contact with him (surprising, but to a certain point, his true friendship with his rival James Hunt, its partner ranks in the lower formulas, but the polar opposite personality, attitude and lifestyle). Even his driving style was devoid of frills and, above all the fans who noticed, little funny, but, given the results, very effective.
Career [edit] Early in Formula 1 (1971-1973) [edit] He made his debut in Formula 1 Grand Prix of Austria in 1971 driving a March race in which even the following season and never get championship points.
In 1973 with the BRM racing in Belgium and an excellent fifth place and winning his first points. Thanks to the wonderful performance in the next Grand Prix of Monaco is noted by Enzo Ferrari, who hired him in his Scuderia for the 1974 season.
Ferrari (1974-1977) [edit] The engagement was encouraged by Clay Regazzoni, his partner at BRM in 1973, which for 1974 would be back behind the wheel of the Ferrari, but that caused some controversy due to the exclusion of Arturo Merzario and also because the Austrian driver, except during the GP of Monaco, had shown no more.
Niki Lauda being tested on the Nürburgring during the Grand Prix of Germany 1976, a day before his tragic incidente.Lauda however, immediately proved very competitive, Spain and Holland taking victories and nine pole positions, even if it was to touch the Regazzoni world title until the last race.
In 1975 Niki speed, combined with the competitiveness of the Ferrari 312T, represented an almost invincible pair, who won the world title in Monza. The next season seemed to start to be the natural evolution of the previous year, with a sequence of wins and placings, which seemed to leave little doubt about the final outcome of the championship. On August 1, 1976, however, during the Grand Prix of Germany, the Nürburgring during the dangerous, Lauda had a serious accident, being trapped in the car on fire. Thanks to the courage of colleagues Harald Ertl, Guy Edwards and Arturo Merzario, managed to escape, even if his condition remained serious for some time, but not for the severe burns suffered by the driver (still his face is disfigured), as inhaling the poisonous fumes of gasoline.
While he was away from the slopes, James Hunt was able to recover most of the disadvantage accumulated in the league, serving as the main opponent of the Ferrari driver. Lauda, showing great courage, he went back behind the wheel after just 40 days after the accident, the Grand Prix of Italy. Though battered by injuries, some even still bleeding [citation needed], Niki came 4 th in the race, picking up important points for the title fight. The duel with Hunt continued until the last race, the Grand Prix of Japan on the Fuji circuit. The race was run in torrential rain, Lauda, and in the second lap, he preferred to stay in the pits and retire for the dangerous conditions. Hunt went on and got the placement needed to win the title, with only a point ahead of Ferrari. The behavior of Lauda, however understandable as what happened a short time before, attracted huge criticism from the Italian press and from Ferrari, which compromised the relationship until that perfect moment.
In 1977, again with Ferrari, Lauda proved to be a constant if not always successful, achieving the second title with several races to spare. This result, combined with the final break in relations with the Ferrari, made him skip the last few races, where the Italian team lined up Gilles Villeneuve, his replacement for 1978.
Brabham (1978-1979) [edit] In 1978, Lauda moved to Brabham-Alfa Romeo, which proposed cutting-edge technical solutions. In that season, however, there was little chance of success against the ground-effect Lotus 79, and Lauda won only two victories. The first, in Sweden, was obtained with the vehicle equipped with a fan to extract air from the bottom of the car, once banned by sports authorities, while the second came at the Italian Grand Prix, after the penalty Andretti and Villeneuve for early departure. 1979 was even more stingy with satisfaction, with just two points and placed in a series of withdrawals due to technical problems, won the Gran Premio Dino Ferrari, not valid for the championship, which took place at Imola on Sunday following the Grand Prix ' Italy. During testing of the next Grand Prix of Canada decided to retire from Formula 1.
The first collection (1979-1981) [edit] In 1979, she suddenly withdrew from racing to devote to the development of his airline, Lauda Air.
McLaren (1982-1985) [edit]
Lauda driving the McLaren MP4 / 2 1984.Nel in 1982 he returned to racing with McLaren, returning after a few races to victory. After contributing to the development phase of the TAG-Porsche engine for McLaren in 1984 won the world title against teammate Alain Prost, beaten at the end of the season for only half a point. The following season saw him the victim of a series of technical problems that convinced him to announce his retirement by the end of the season, even during the Grand Prix of Austria. Before final withdrawal, however, won the Grand Prix of the Netherlands.
The second retreat [edit] After retiring from active competition, as well as look after their own airline, he practiced as a commentator for television broadcasters to German, and was a consultant to several teams, including Ferrari and Jaguar, as organizational problems and concerns of team management.
