Today, thanks to the safety measures taken by the Formula 1 administration and the safety technologies it has to be in the vehicles, pilots can escape without injury even in serious accidents, but this was not the case in the past.
Today, we will take you on a journey to the life story of Niki Lauda, the hero of an accident that took place in times when safety measures were lower in Formula 1 cars.
Although the pilots are racing in a safer environment due to the safety measures in recent years, 52 pilots have lost their lives so far.
Legendary pilot, 3-time world champion Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident while racing in the San Marino GP in 1994, Jules Bianchi who died in 2014, and Anthoine Hubert, who died in a terrible accident while fighting in Formula 2 in 2019, are the most memorable events for racing fans even today. names that come to mind.
Among all these fatal accidents, we would like to talk about this special story of Lauda, who survived a fatal accident and won the fight for his life, who literally rose from the ashes and then went on to win 2 world championships.
The horrific accident that cost Anthonie Hubert his life:
Like many F1 drivers, Lauda rose through sponsorship and then tried to stand on his own two feet.
Although Formula 1 is a vehicle and talent oriented sport, it is a sport in which sponsors are important as well as these two dynamics. No matter how talented you are, you need solid sponsors until you prove yourself.
Austrian Andreas Nikolaus, or “Niki Lauda” as the whole world calls him, was also a pilot who stood out for his family’s wealth until Formula 2. He had talents, but he needed to improve. Although he had a seat in the March team until 1971 with his family’s serious economic support, when his family withdrew their sponsor’s support, he found the solution to take a loan from the bank and gave a 30 thousand pound loan to the team as a sponsor fee.
Even if you are talented, it can take time to prove yourself and everything is fair for Niki Lauda on this path.
Lauda moved to British Racing Motors (BRM) in 1973, which could better compete with top teams and was a more formidable team than March, but he had already taken a loan from the bank and BRM naturally wanted a higher sponsorship fee from March. .
Here, Lauda lied innocently, introducing a friend of his as a bank manager and saying that the bank would sponsor him. BRM’s doors opened for Lauda when he stated that the bank would make the payment in the second half of the season and vouched for Lauda in the first half of the season.
Lauda’s goal was to prove himself, he even got paid for doing well on the track.
Although Lauda lied to compete for BRM, his success in the first half of the season, which could be considered a surprise, signed a contract with the team without the need for a sponsor, and even earned money for this contract.
When luck knocks on the door for Niki Lauda…
- Niki Lauda was nicknamed “Brave Rat” and “Super Rat” because of her teeth structure.
Ferrari, which had a bad chart in recent years, wanted to go to a new structure and win championships in a row to draw a sponge to the past. For this, Ferrari vacated both driver’s seats and went in search of two new drivers. One of these seats was also handed over to Niki Lauda. Lauda impressed Ferrari boss Enzo Ferrari with his performance at BRM. According to Ferrari, Lauda was the future champion.
Niki Lauda finished his first season with Ferrari in fourth place. Expectations from Lauda at Ferrari increased even more when his teammate Regazzoni lost the championship to his rival in the last race of the season. In 1975, Niki Lauda, who entered into a tight rivalry with his teammate, outclassed his teammate by 19.5 points, both justifying Ferrari and reaching his first championship.
The embodiment of determination and ambition that distinguishes Niki Lauda from other pilots: Nürburgring crash
One of the biggest accidents in the history of Formula 1, which was also detailed in the movie Rush, which was released in 2013 and starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, directed by Oscar-winning director Ronald William Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. The story of returning to the circuit and winning championships began exactly at the Nürburgring (Ring) GP.
Trailer from the movie Rush:
At the Nürburgring GP held in Germany in August 1976, Niki Lauda suffered the demise of the wet ground at the beginning of the race, first losing control and crashing into the barriers. Niki Lauda, who was thrown back to the track from the barriers due to her high speed before hitting the barriers, was also hit by the vehicle behind her and her vehicle caught fire. In this life market, Niki Lauda was barely pulled out of the flames.
Footage of the accident in which Niki Lauda miraculously survived:
Even the nuns made preparations, thinking that she would die, but her dreams of championship still continued in her mind.
Although Niki Lauda survived the giant fire, he was burned all over his head, pupils, lungs and ear. Naturally, the poisonous gases of the fire also made his lungs miserable. Doctors and family despaired of Lauda, who had undergone multiple emergency surgeries, and even priests were arranged for his funeral, but the champion had no intention of dying without seeing new championships.
As strange as it may sound right now, Niki Lauda is back on the track after just 6 weeks. No one expected him to come back from the brink of death and be this good. For this reason, Niki Lauda is truly referred to as a legend rising from the ashes.
For Niki Lauda, defeating death is not enough, new championships are needed.
Will a driven and success-hungry pilot like Niki Lauda ever be content with returning to the tracks? Although he could not complete the season when he returned from the dead as champion, he became champion again the next year. He later left Ferrari to sign with Brabham team on the grounds that he had lost his aggressiveness due to his falling out with his Ferrari boss and the fatal accident. When he couldn’t show the performance he wanted at Brabham, he started racing for McLaren.
Legendary pilot Niki Lauda, who almost fought with death and defeated death, won the championship once again in 1984 with McLaren, reaching the world championship for the third time in total.
After his retirement, he could not stay away from Formula 1, which he devoted his life to.
Niki Lauda, who returned to the tracks even after his death, started several companies, especially Lauda Air, after his retirement. While dealing with these companies, he gave management and consultancy services in various teams due to his love for Formula 1.
The legendary name Niki Lauda, who defies even death, must have thought that he had completed his duty after tens of races and 3 world championships, so he passed away in 2019 due to the increase in kidney problems. When Niki Lauda passed away, he was remembered with respect by the Formula 1 community and made his mark on the dusty pages of history as one of the most legendary racing drivers of all time.
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