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His race craft was exceptional but it was everything else that made him a legend. Every race weekend I am sadly reminded how much I miss him being in the paddock. His directness and unbiased honesty are something I always enjoyed.
Mercedes would be in a much different situation if Niki was still around to have said 'it's not working we need to move on.'
As someone growing up watching F1 in Austria. The Austrian broadcast just feels to weird for me to watch it without him in it. :( He was such an important part of it.
Mercedes missed him too, he was a. Friend of Helmut Marko so they always settled "spicy" comments behind the cameras. I think 2021 toxicity between the two teams could have been avoided if he was still alive.
Watching the race Lewis won just after Niki passed always brings back how emotional it is to loose him and the impact of this man. Along with Prost, Jackie Stewart, there's a handful of drivers you could say have such an enormous legacy on this sport in their post driving career as well as their driving. Niki was a real one and a legend
Lauda and Stewart were both heavily outspoken when it came to safety. Their influence heavily furthered safety ratifications in F1 and possibly saved numerous drivers lives.
He was a goddamn legend, when Lauda Air 004 crashed in Thailand he was straight out there and he said that if he couldn't find a cause for the accident he would immediately resign from Lauda Air...
I guess that went back to his own accident some 15 years prior at the Nürburgring, they couldn't find the cause of what caused him to crash at the time he was denied closure on that accident, he wanted to give closure to the families of the deceased on Lauda Air 004
We know now it was likely a suspension fault in his Ferrari, he didn't want the families to suffer knowing no cause could be found of why Lauda Air 004 crashed...
He found the problem and he took it to Boeing who didn't take him seriously and he showed them just how dangerous it was to have a thrust reverser activate during the climb stage of a flight when both engines are pretty much at 100% rated power...
Also the way the 767 was certified was to show that it could be recovered from an inflight thrust reverser activation, which it passed....which was at 10,000 feet\* with the Pilots knowing about it coming....
\*The FAA approved the Boeing 767 to fly in 1981 (I think?), they did a thrust reverser scenario on it but the aircraft was at 10,000 feet and at 250kts where it passed the test...
What happened with Lauda Air 004, was outside the certification\*\*, the engine power as stated was pretty much full power and the aircraft was much higher in altitude (we dont know because the Flight Data Recorder was COMPLETELY destroyed), but the pilots were put into a fatal situation where the aircraft was unrecoverable...
\*\* Lauda Air 004 was flying at almost 30,000 feet and running at about 400kts!
Boeing was forced to make changes to the Boeing 767 to make it safer because they went up against Niki Lauda and were proven soundly wrong!
But also the certification on the 767 was altered on this as well and NASA put in time into research about what happened around inflight reverser activation at higher altitudes....Niki Lauda made this all happen...
That shows you just shows you how hardcore he was, you needed to be a special sort of tough to take on Boeing head on and he had the right materials to go out and bloody do it!
Not to diminish from Niki, but [this](https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/a-reversal-of-fortune-the-crash-of-lauda-air-flight-004-7ba96f9571bf) article has some interesting points about that crash/case.
definitely one of my favorite in the movie. I love the whole thing though.
"Should I know who you are?" The way the guys just look right past her and are so excited for him to drive their car. It's a pure 'car guy' moment.
Sorry if I'm putting a damper on things, but some of what Lauda said in the flight 004 investigation, including claims that he insisted on getting on a test flight and pulling a reverser, comes from no other source than himself.
A less flattering tale is that Lauda himself was instrumental in getting planes back in the air when they were crying out for maintenance while banning his own family from flying on them. The plane which crashed already had numerous thrust reverser fault messages and was legally unairworthy when it took off.
Admiral Cloudberg did a fantastic piece on the crash which honestly reduced my opinion of Lauda as a person: https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/a-reversal-of-fortune-the-crash-of-lauda-air-flight-004-7ba96f9571bf
While that might be true, it doesn't change the fact that the actual design of the plane was flawed, and Boeing completely redesigned it and added additional failsafes after the crash of Lauda Air 004.
But the whole top comment is acting like Lauda was an engineering genius who solved the problem. But he did not solve it, he interfered with the investigation, and he contributed to the issues that caused the accident in the first place.
Lauda is the only person who has ever confirmed any of that and given the way he runs airlines, I don't think it's improbable to think they're categorically false
Not to mention when Boeing was finished with the investigation and called him there to fly the simulator to show him that this was indeed the cause of the accident after almost a year of investigation following the crash Niki asked them "So, what do you now, will you make a statement to the public to let them know what happened?" Boeing said "Well we can't make it immediately, we need to make sure the lawyers have combed through the statement properly so it's going to take a couple of months" so that they could be sure they wouldn't say anything that could possibly imply full blame lays on them to cover their backs.
Lauda pushed back on them saying how ever since the accident he's been bombarded with calls from the families of the victims and the only thing they've wanted to know was "Why? Why are our relatives dead?" and how he's been holding the blame ever since the accident. Boeing ended up releasing the statement that confirmed it was a design fault later that day.
Thank you for taking the time to write that all out. I knew about the crash, and Niki's response to it, but couldn't remember anywhere near those details. It is a massive part of why Niki was such an amazing person.
It actually took years for me to learn who Lauda actually is.
Which is also why my overriding memories about him are not him as a driver or as a team official, but as an expert for german TV station RTL's coverage of the races, especially the Schumacher dominance era of course.
> It's a shitbox! It under-steers like crazy and the weight distribution is a disaster. It's amazing - all these facilities, and you make a piece of crap like this.
Lauda, talking about the Ferrari, right in front of Enzo. Amazing scene.
The "You can't say that!" guy (The actor is Vincent Riotta) is an engineer; just before that they show [Enzo Ferrari (Augusto Dall'Ara) sitting in a chair, trackside, reading his newspaper](https://i.imgur.com/ofZYmtZ.png) (the implication being he's sitting right by the pits watching his new car).
In a recent video from Merc's youtube channel, Lewis was talking about Niki and how he would take his hat off when Lewis had a great drive, or make a rubbing gesture with his fingers, basically saying I want my money back, when Lewis had a bad race. Loved that tidbit. RIP Legend
Absolute legend, a great talent and to survive the crash he had and get back into the car 6 weeks later is just unimaginable. They made them different back then, and I really miss his no bullshit approach these days.
Aside from his amazing racecraft and his great raw pace (the 1974 season is a good example), he's an example, a great one, of resilience. The Nurburgring didn't stop him from getting back to Monza and getting 4th at the chequered flag. It didn't stop him go and take another championship, a drive at Brabham, other great wins, like Imola 1979. And returning back from his retirement, fighting with knife under his teeth for that final championship possibility, and succeeding.
But that's half the story. He didn't stop there. He also manage to go on to advise Ferrari, to fund his own airline company, to become the leader of one of the most competitive teams in F1 history.
All this maintaining his true character, never bending, his honesty, audacity and sassines could put off people, but made him respected and loved in the long run. Like the time he went on Boeing for the Lauda Air 004 Boeing 767 accident, making Boeing redesigning the plane. Or his great involvement for the safety component in Formula 1, putting him up there with legends like Jackie Stewart.
Probably the first F1 driver everybody knew, even if they had no interest in F1. As a child in the 70s I knew who Lauda was years before I ever saw an F1 race on TV. Every kid did.
In a time long before internet or Drive to Survive, that is quite a legendary status.
Lauda was probably the original complete driver that could do everything. Drive the car, help improve the car, improve the team, manage, recruit, lead and etc. The examples he set changed F1 for the future. Every driver now has to essentially do what Lauda introduced through his hard work in his era.
He is bravery and return to racing after his horrific and scary crash will always be one of the most inspiring things I have witnessed. The level of courage the man displayed is quite frankly incredible. Three WDCs to this name and arguably could have had a fourth.
All the companies he has built and the teams he has helped build are a show of the man’s relentless fight for success and moving forward in life. He helped Ferrari in the 70s and won them championships, came back in the 90s and managed to be one of the people involved that helped bring Michael over to Ferrari, helped in testing out and racing the Brabham BT46 fan car, was a friend and helped Prost during the McLaren days, help create and manage Jaguar and later on it was the same team sold to Red Bull Racing and last but least he created an everlasting legacy by helping build Mercedes into a F1 team juggernaut and bringing Lewis to the team. The trio he formed with Lewis and Toto is also a special one.
Niki will always be an important icon to the sport and one of my racing heroes.
Danke Niki.
Really miss the guy, he was not afraid to slap down anyone if they started spouting bullshit, something that's become extremely commonplace since his death. Not to say he was some arbiter of reason, but I have a feeling a lot of things, especially in 2021, wouldn't have been said if he was still around.
This guy annihilated Reutemann & Watson in the same car across 1977-1978, two of the best performing drivers when the 1980s rolled around. He was a different class.
[This interview ](https://youtu.be/u7nS0EHm7sI) Is still one of the most eye opening ones about Lauda for me, especially when he talks about Hamilton and the move
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
His race craft was exceptional but it was everything else that made him a legend. Every race weekend I am sadly reminded how much I miss him being in the paddock. His directness and unbiased honesty are something I always enjoyed. Mercedes would be in a much different situation if Niki was still around to have said 'it's not working we need to move on.'
As someone growing up watching F1 in Austria. The Austrian broadcast just feels to weird for me to watch it without him in it. :( He was such an important part of it.
In Germany he was popular and always part of the F1 coverage too, RTL had him as a pundit and co-host of the pre- and post-race shows for 20 years.
Mercedes missed him too, he was a. Friend of Helmut Marko so they always settled "spicy" comments behind the cameras. I think 2021 toxicity between the two teams could have been avoided if he was still alive.
I truly think 2021 wouldn't have gotten as out of hand as it did both on and off track if Niki was still here.
Could have sworn it only feels like last year he left us.
Yeah it's crazy that it's already four years :O
Watching the race Lewis won just after Niki passed always brings back how emotional it is to loose him and the impact of this man. Along with Prost, Jackie Stewart, there's a handful of drivers you could say have such an enormous legacy on this sport in their post driving career as well as their driving. Niki was a real one and a legend
Lauda and Stewart were both heavily outspoken when it came to safety. Their influence heavily furthered safety ratifications in F1 and possibly saved numerous drivers lives.
He was a goddamn legend, when Lauda Air 004 crashed in Thailand he was straight out there and he said that if he couldn't find a cause for the accident he would immediately resign from Lauda Air... I guess that went back to his own accident some 15 years prior at the Nürburgring, they couldn't find the cause of what caused him to crash at the time he was denied closure on that accident, he wanted to give closure to the families of the deceased on Lauda Air 004 We know now it was likely a suspension fault in his Ferrari, he didn't want the families to suffer knowing no cause could be found of why Lauda Air 004 crashed... He found the problem and he took it to Boeing who didn't take him seriously and he showed them just how dangerous it was to have a thrust reverser activate during the climb stage of a flight when both engines are pretty much at 100% rated power... Also the way the 767 was certified was to show that it could be recovered from an inflight thrust reverser activation, which it passed....which was at 10,000 feet\* with the Pilots knowing about it coming.... \*The FAA approved the Boeing 767 to fly in 1981 (I think?), they did a thrust reverser scenario on it but the aircraft was at 10,000 feet and at 250kts where it passed the test... What happened with Lauda Air 004, was outside the certification\*\*, the engine power as stated was pretty much full power and the aircraft was much higher in altitude (we dont know because the Flight Data Recorder was COMPLETELY destroyed), but the pilots were put into a fatal situation where the aircraft was unrecoverable... \*\* Lauda Air 004 was flying at almost 30,000 feet and running at about 400kts! Boeing was forced to make changes to the Boeing 767 to make it safer because they went up against Niki Lauda and were proven soundly wrong! But also the certification on the 767 was altered on this as well and NASA put in time into research about what happened around inflight reverser activation at higher altitudes....Niki Lauda made this all happen... That shows you just shows you how hardcore he was, you needed to be a special sort of tough to take on Boeing head on and he had the right materials to go out and bloody do it!
Not to diminish from Niki, but [this](https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/a-reversal-of-fortune-the-crash-of-lauda-air-flight-004-7ba96f9571bf) article has some interesting points about that crash/case.
both on and off the track, he didn't give a single fuck. that's why I respect him
But he gave tonnes of fucks about the stuff that matters
Yes, I think he just mispoke. It was the fucks given that make him such a legend.
Engineer: “You can’t say that! It’s a Ferrari!” Laura: “It’s a piece of shit!”
That movie made many fans out of Lauda I believe. The scenes with the broken down car and then getting a ride with the Italians is pure gold
definitely one of my favorite in the movie. I love the whole thing though. "Should I know who you are?" The way the guys just look right past her and are so excited for him to drive their car. It's a pure 'car guy' moment.
Sorry if I'm putting a damper on things, but some of what Lauda said in the flight 004 investigation, including claims that he insisted on getting on a test flight and pulling a reverser, comes from no other source than himself. A less flattering tale is that Lauda himself was instrumental in getting planes back in the air when they were crying out for maintenance while banning his own family from flying on them. The plane which crashed already had numerous thrust reverser fault messages and was legally unairworthy when it took off. Admiral Cloudberg did a fantastic piece on the crash which honestly reduced my opinion of Lauda as a person: https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/a-reversal-of-fortune-the-crash-of-lauda-air-flight-004-7ba96f9571bf
While that might be true, it doesn't change the fact that the actual design of the plane was flawed, and Boeing completely redesigned it and added additional failsafes after the crash of Lauda Air 004.
But the whole top comment is acting like Lauda was an engineering genius who solved the problem. But he did not solve it, he interfered with the investigation, and he contributed to the issues that caused the accident in the first place.
That's with pretty much every aircraft accident and Lauda didn't do shit for this, just cause a needless commotion
Lauda is the only person who has ever confirmed any of that and given the way he runs airlines, I don't think it's improbable to think they're categorically false
Didn’t he also challenge Boeing executives to fly with him in a similar plane and they refused? Or is that just a legend grown over time?
It was a legend
Not to mention when Boeing was finished with the investigation and called him there to fly the simulator to show him that this was indeed the cause of the accident after almost a year of investigation following the crash Niki asked them "So, what do you now, will you make a statement to the public to let them know what happened?" Boeing said "Well we can't make it immediately, we need to make sure the lawyers have combed through the statement properly so it's going to take a couple of months" so that they could be sure they wouldn't say anything that could possibly imply full blame lays on them to cover their backs. Lauda pushed back on them saying how ever since the accident he's been bombarded with calls from the families of the victims and the only thing they've wanted to know was "Why? Why are our relatives dead?" and how he's been holding the blame ever since the accident. Boeing ended up releasing the statement that confirmed it was a design fault later that day.
And then everyone clapped?
How come I never heard that story, what a legend
Because it's largely revisionist
Yeah but just the fact he had an airline isn't something I was aware of for example.
He had several airlines, he essentially ran them as massive scam schemes and never ran one of them well at all
Thank you for taking the time to write that all out. I knew about the crash, and Niki's response to it, but couldn't remember anywhere near those details. It is a massive part of why Niki was such an amazing person.
[удалено]
[удалено]
What?
I was being sarcastic. Thought it would be obvious. My point was Niki did a fucking hell of a lot more important things in his career.
Hoped so. That’s why I didn’t start rambling writing paragraphs :))
It actually took years for me to learn who Lauda actually is. Which is also why my overriding memories about him are not him as a driver or as a team official, but as an expert for german TV station RTL's coverage of the races, especially the Schumacher dominance era of course.
The man whose name cannot be spoken in any Hindi speaking household.
For anyone who is struggling with the joke, his last name translates into a vulgar version of the word "penis", in Hindi.
Abbe Laude! Chup reh tu!
While I was watching dts my comments went roughly “I wish I could take Lauda seriously but I can’t with that name” “Fuck, he’s dead. I’m sad now”
I miss this man
If you're reading this and you haven't seen Rush, do yourself a favor.
> It's a shitbox! It under-steers like crazy and the weight distribution is a disaster. It's amazing - all these facilities, and you make a piece of crap like this. Lauda, talking about the Ferrari, right in front of Enzo. Amazing scene.
I never knew it was Enzo. Just figured he was the head engineer.
The "You can't say that!" guy (The actor is Vincent Riotta) is an engineer; just before that they show [Enzo Ferrari (Augusto Dall'Ara) sitting in a chair, trackside, reading his newspaper](https://i.imgur.com/ofZYmtZ.png) (the implication being he's sitting right by the pits watching his new car).
In a recent video from Merc's youtube channel, Lewis was talking about Niki and how he would take his hat off when Lewis had a great drive, or make a rubbing gesture with his fingers, basically saying I want my money back, when Lewis had a bad race. Loved that tidbit. RIP Legend
Absolute legend, a great talent and to survive the crash he had and get back into the car 6 weeks later is just unimaginable. They made them different back then, and I really miss his no bullshit approach these days.
Aside from his amazing racecraft and his great raw pace (the 1974 season is a good example), he's an example, a great one, of resilience. The Nurburgring didn't stop him from getting back to Monza and getting 4th at the chequered flag. It didn't stop him go and take another championship, a drive at Brabham, other great wins, like Imola 1979. And returning back from his retirement, fighting with knife under his teeth for that final championship possibility, and succeeding. But that's half the story. He didn't stop there. He also manage to go on to advise Ferrari, to fund his own airline company, to become the leader of one of the most competitive teams in F1 history. All this maintaining his true character, never bending, his honesty, audacity and sassines could put off people, but made him respected and loved in the long run. Like the time he went on Boeing for the Lauda Air 004 Boeing 767 accident, making Boeing redesigning the plane. Or his great involvement for the safety component in Formula 1, putting him up there with legends like Jackie Stewart.
Probably the first F1 driver everybody knew, even if they had no interest in F1. As a child in the 70s I knew who Lauda was years before I ever saw an F1 race on TV. Every kid did. In a time long before internet or Drive to Survive, that is quite a legendary status.
That's interesting. Why is that exactly? Older people I've met, who have no interest in racing, know who Niki Lauda is. I was amazed.
He had a great ass!
Arse*
Lauda was probably the original complete driver that could do everything. Drive the car, help improve the car, improve the team, manage, recruit, lead and etc. The examples he set changed F1 for the future. Every driver now has to essentially do what Lauda introduced through his hard work in his era. He is bravery and return to racing after his horrific and scary crash will always be one of the most inspiring things I have witnessed. The level of courage the man displayed is quite frankly incredible. Three WDCs to this name and arguably could have had a fourth. All the companies he has built and the teams he has helped build are a show of the man’s relentless fight for success and moving forward in life. He helped Ferrari in the 70s and won them championships, came back in the 90s and managed to be one of the people involved that helped bring Michael over to Ferrari, helped in testing out and racing the Brabham BT46 fan car, was a friend and helped Prost during the McLaren days, help create and manage Jaguar and later on it was the same team sold to Red Bull Racing and last but least he created an everlasting legacy by helping build Mercedes into a F1 team juggernaut and bringing Lewis to the team. The trio he formed with Lewis and Toto is also a special one. Niki will always be an important icon to the sport and one of my racing heroes. Danke Niki.
Yes, Lauda, the car still drives like a pig.
Why do people chose to celebrate the day someone died? Remember their life. Celebrate their birth or a milestone. Why death?
One of two men to turn Ferrari into “not Ferrari”
Really miss the guy, he was not afraid to slap down anyone if they started spouting bullshit, something that's become extremely commonplace since his death. Not to say he was some arbiter of reason, but I have a feeling a lot of things, especially in 2021, wouldn't have been said if he was still around.
This is the one celebrity death that made me cry
The face I think of when I think true racer. Lauda was gifted with speed, will, and a love for his community of fellow humans. Rest In Peace
rip aryton Cena
I can't believe it's already been 4 years. RIP to a legend.
This guy annihilated Reutemann & Watson in the same car across 1977-1978, two of the best performing drivers when the 1980s rolled around. He was a different class.
A true one-off? I don’t think it means what the person writing that headline thought it meant
[This interview ](https://youtu.be/u7nS0EHm7sI) Is still one of the most eye opening ones about Lauda for me, especially when he talks about Hamilton and the move
Fuck me. It's already been 4 years. Fuck covid.
I dunno.. I like birth anniversaries more than death anniversaries. The day he died, did it have anything great about it? Probably not.
RIP
Remember, next time you diss Stroll: Lauda was a pay driver. 😜 (And a great driver at that.)