Varlıklı bir ailenin çocuğu olarak doğan Lauda, ailesinin onaylamamasına rağmen bir yarış sürücüsü olmuştur.
In 1976, Arturo Merzario dived into flames to free Niki Lauda from his wrecked F1 car.
“He just walked past me and didn’t even say ‘thank-you’,” says Merzario, visibly still offended.Lauda tried to make up for it a week later, when Merzario was at the Salzburgring competing in a sports car race. Jaap Bakker Yet he stole the hearts of many fans with his outgoing appearance and character. He had certainly not bought it especially for me.” Sources report Lauda had won the watch earlier that year for his pole position in Monaco; Merzario says it was a present from his former girlfriend Mariella von Reininghaus, for winning the 1975 world title. You had to be right on the edge of the kerbstone on the inside. These are the killer years in Formula One, an era when death is always near. Meanwhile, Arturo Merzario has also stopped.
!” Apparently the gift means more than he wants to admit. A few months later, Lauda gave his rescuer a gold Rolex, an Oyster Perpetual Datejust. When he woke up and asked what his face looked like, I knew he’d make it.”Having inhaled poisonous gases, Lauda fought for life for almost a week. You may be able to find more information on their web site. Because his body was completely stressed, I did not manage to release the seat belts at first.
Niki Lauda's intense rivalry with fellow Formula 1 driver James Hunt was made into a movie by Ron Howard in 2013, and the movie was an international success. Instead of talking about the 1 Augusts accident, I would like to have your opinions or your knowledge, about this episode.
In the days before the race, the Ferrari ace has made no secret of the fact he considers the Nürburgring no longer suitable for F1; indeed it had already been agreed by the sport’s top brass that 1976 would be its final year on the calendar.
“He suddenly stood in front of me to give me the Rolex,” says Merzario. Without any hesitation he dives into the fire and manages to free Lauda.A salient detail is Merzario and Lauda weren’t exactly friends. Eventually, Merzario’s team boss Carlo Chiti convinced his driver to accept the gift. The rescuer was given a gold Rolex as a thank-you but has never worn it — till now. In the days before the race, the Ferrari ace has made no secret of the fact he considers the Nürburgring no longer suitable for F1; indeed it had already been agreed by the sport’s top brass that 1976 would be its final year on the calendar. “He suddenly stood in front of me to give me the Rolex,” says Merzario. The car spins back on the track. Certainly not in the way it was handed to him. You ìhave to know that Arturo Merzario during this 40 years never like to talk about the episode, or even clarify things. A wonderful gesture you would say, yet Merzario has distinctly mixed feelings about it. Due to drizzle right before the start, everybody is on wet tires, but the rain turns out to be nothing. During the crash, Niki’s helmet had been torn off, causing severe head burns. And one single, heroic moment made him immortal: in August 1976, Merzario rescued Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari at the Nürburgring and saved his life. Lauda, during the negotiations with McLaren and Marlboro to return in F1 Niki Lauda has always been a loyal wearer of Rolex watches.
He never wears the watch, but has agreed to bring it out to be photographed for the first time in 43 years. The rescuer was given a gold Rolex as a thank-you but has never worn it — till now. Occasionally, they meet in a paddock somewhere, pose for photos, having a laugh and a chat.
Because his body was completely stressed, I did not manage to release the seat belts at first.