Niki Lauda dies
in

Lauda: A pilot with character

PHOTOS NIKI LAUDA: FERRARI

May 26, 1991. Lauda Air's Boeing 767 bound for Vienna suffers an accident in Thailand. There were no survivors. Airline Director Niki Lauda, believed from the first moment in the theory of mechanical failure and not in an error of the pilots.

Determined to prove his thesis, he challenged Boeing to do the same maneuver with another 767 piloted by himself. Before such an ordeal, the manufacturer recognized failures in the thrust reverser activation. The accident was due to controls where an incipient and still dubious electronics had too much prominence. Niki Lauda's name got clean thanks to her courage and professionalism.

Italy, 1974. After three years competing against all odds in minor F1 teams Niki Lauda catches the attention of Enzo Ferrari. The Scuderia summons him to offer him proof. At the beginning of the 70s, Ferrari cars belonged to the legendary 312B series. Any other pilot would have been fascinated by the situation. However, Niki Lauda knew no limits in his quest for perfection.

niki lauda semblance

Neither short nor lazy, he snapped at the engineers a "Your car sucks". And what's more, even having Enzo Ferrari in front of him flattened him when it came to repeating those same words again. The old Italian challenged the young Austrian. If the car is so bad and you are so good… Will you be able to improve the car's time at Fiorano? And he did. Specifically in a few eight tenths that were due both to the skill behind the wheel and to the precision in the pits.

AWARDS THAT GO DIRECT TO THE LAUNDRY

Whatever the situation, Niki Lauda acted in a rational and calculating way. In fact, these virtues were so excessive in him that many saw his main flaw here. It was so logical, so perfectionist, it was overwhelming. In reference to electronic driving aids, he said that "The current F1 could be piloted even by a chimpanzee."

Well, coming from him this direct phrase acquires another meaning. And it is that Niki Lauda did not need electronics too much, because he himself was already like a computer with his meticulousness and discipline. A totally different style than his nemesis on the track: James Hunt. He piloted with instinct and guts, which infuriated the methodical Niki Lauda.

To a large extent, this rivalry spurred a going beyond materialized in one of the best track records in F1. Three times World Champion, 25 victories, 54 podiums, 24 pole positions, 24 fastest laps… And everything to end up giving the trophies to the man who washed his car. Curious mania that spoke of the character of a man captivated by the process of things rather than the result.

NIKI LAUDA: "THE ENGINE DOES NOT REASON, THE RIDER DOES"

It was precisely this desire for the method that saved his life. After his accident at Nurburgring 1976 Ferrari was preparing the funeral. In fact, he even received the extreme anointing. However, his coldness in acknowledging the situation and not being carried away by the daze made him cling to life.

niki lauda semblance

Years later I would say "I only experienced a sensation equal to that of the Nurburgring accident once I smoked marijuana". And it under his seriousness he really was a guy with a good humor. Even with black humor. Like that time some fans recognized him walking through the Nurburgring circuit and he replied "I'm looking for my ear."

Al fin y al cabo Niki Lauda could have Galician roots, and you already know how far back they spend there ... No matter where their lineage came from, the truth is that this F1 icon is gone forever. Another character from the golden age of motorsport dies with him. A more mechanical and less electronic age. As he himself said "The engine does not reason, the pilot does". Goodbye Mr. Lauda.

niki lauda semblance
Source: Mercedes-Benz

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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