The 3-time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda passed away on Monday at the age of 70.

His New York Times Obituary is here.

His remembrance by Formula1.com is here.

A blunt spoken Austrian and born racer, Lauda competed in the 1970s and the 1980s, one of F1’s most dangerous eras. The 1970s in particular was a decade when the ever-increasing speed and aerodynamic technology of the cars was not matched by any significant safety improvements in the chassis themselves, which resembled nothing so much as low flying bombs with drivers strapped into them, or the old circuits on which they raced and had been “upgraded” with only the flimsiest of safety measures amidst heavily wooded forests perilously close to the racing line. Despite constantly advocating for greater driver safety, Lauda himself nearly bought it deep in the Green Hell of the original 14-mile Nürbergring when he lost control of his Ferrari during 1976 German Grand Prix amidst slick conditions, perhaps due to suspension failure on the punishingly bumpy forest circuit. His car subsequently burst into flames after hitting a barrier, bouncing back and being hit by onrushing cars. While Lauda had his helmet ripped off in the initial impact and was badly burned on his face and head and suffered concussion and broken bones his worst injuries came from inhaling toxic fumes from his burning car that scarred his lungs and threatened his life.

Despite being close to death’s door and having the last rights administered while in hospital, Lauda prevailed through sheer force of will and bloody-minded determination to get back into the championship fight with his English arch-rival, James Hunt. Just six weeks later Lauda returned to Monza and despite his bloody and scarred appearance and fending off immense pain, he finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix in front of the adoring, Ferrari-fanatical tifosi. Perhaps even more bravely, Lauda had the personal courage to retire early in the last race of the season at an absolutely waterlogged Suzuka Circuit in Japan, even though he had a very good shot at snatching the championship away from Hunt with a decent result. It was an act for which some at Ferrari never forgave him, though he would return to the team the next season to claim his second title, also returning the favor on Hunt by besting him for the Championship in their spirited rematch.

That famous Hunt-Lauda season of ’76 is well-chronicled in Ron Howard’s underrated 2013 film Rush. But there was more to Lauda than that admittedly compelling relationship and rivalry. A child of wealth and privilege from a prominent Austrian family, Lauda was willing to defy his family’s disapproval to pursue his passion for speed. Lauda bluffed and cajoled his way up the Formula ranks, using money to get his foot in the door but then proving he was genuinely quick in the car against all the up and coming competition of the early ’70s like Hunt and Super Swede Ronnie Peterson. By 1974, he had caught the eye of Enzo Ferrari himself and, once signed to the team, even had the stones to tell Ferrari what a pig his latest car was. But Lauda also had a legendary mechanical sympathy and ability to translate a driver’s feedback into usable technical improvements for the mechanics to implement. In 1975, his second year at Ferrari, Lauda won his first world title. After his epic 1976 season of redemption and the epic runner-up finish to Hunt, Lauda won it all again in 1977. He lost the fire and retired in 1979 to start his own private European airline but was coaxed back into the cockpit by McLaren and Ron Denis for the 1982 season. In 1984 he just pipped his rising young French teammate Alain Prost, another future legend, for his third F1 title.

Lauda retired from driving for good in 1985, focusing most of his attention to his airline businesses but always keeping a toe in the Formula 1 waters. He returned to the sport full-time with a flourish in 2010, becoming the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes factory F1 program and helping lead the Silver Arrows to one of the most dominant team runs in Formula1 history that saw them win five consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014-2018. Mercedes are also well ahead this year. It was a fitting final act for the one of the great hard-nosed competitors, straight shooters and all around characters in motorsports. When they say they don’t make ’em like they used to, that is Niki Lauda in a nutshell. Farewell and godspeed, you fine old warrior.

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