FORMULA ONE DRIVER WORLD CHAMPIONS - THE GREATS
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda was born on 22nd of February 1949, is a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion, winning the title in 1975, 1977 and 1984. He is currently the only driver to have been champion for both successful Constructors Ferrari and McLaren.
Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's stiff disapproval. He took out a £30,000 bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula Two driver in 1971.
Because of his family's disapproval he had an ongoing feud with his family over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact. He was quickly promoted to the F1 team and drove for March in Formula One and Formula Two in the 1972 season.
The March Formula Two cars were good,and Lauda's driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd, but March's 1972 Formula One season was catastrophic!.
Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team for the 1973 Formula One season. The team was in decline, and Lauda had a contract written-up, that he would have mechanics assigned solely to him and his needs and direction of improvements for the cars development, Lauda's ideas and changes made an instant improvement, he impressed everyone within the team from the mechanics upwards.
His big break came when his BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni left the team to rejoin Ferrari in 1974, team owner and Ferrari-Godfather himself Enzo Ferrari asked Regazzoni what he thought of Lauda; Regazzoni spoke so favourably of Niki, that Ferrari promptly signed him alongside Regazzoni as his teammate once more, paying Niki enough to clear his debts and set him on his way to stardom.
Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's stiff disapproval. He took out a £30,000 bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula Two driver in 1971.
Because of his family's disapproval he had an ongoing feud with his family over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact. He was quickly promoted to the F1 team and drove for March in Formula One and Formula Two in the 1972 season.
The March Formula Two cars were good,and Lauda's driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd, but March's 1972 Formula One season was catastrophic!.
Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team for the 1973 Formula One season. The team was in decline, and Lauda had a contract written-up, that he would have mechanics assigned solely to him and his needs and direction of improvements for the cars development, Lauda's ideas and changes made an instant improvement, he impressed everyone within the team from the mechanics upwards.
His big break came when his BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni left the team to rejoin Ferrari in 1974, team owner and Ferrari-Godfather himself Enzo Ferrari asked Regazzoni what he thought of Lauda; Regazzoni spoke so favourably of Niki, that Ferrari promptly signed him alongside Regazzoni as his teammate once more, paying Niki enough to clear his debts and set him on his way to stardom.
Lauda was seriously injured in a horrific crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the old classic winding Nürburgring circuit, there was a failure on Lauda's Ferrari that sent him straight into the close-crash-barriers at speeds of around 150mph, his car rebounding back to the centre of the narrow Nurburgring track, where his Ferrari burst into flames, with Lauda engulfed and trapped in flames, another race car collided with the flaming Ferrari!. Niki came close to death after inhaling hot toxic fumes that severely damaged his lungs, and suffering severe third-degree burns. However, he survived, and pushed himself to recovery, to prematurely get back into the car and race again just six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix. His feud to the Drivers World Championship title with James Hunt, was his main focus for his speedy road to recovery.
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