Niki Lauda is a three-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion, having won the title in 1975, 1977, and 1984. In addition, he starred in the film Mercedes-Benz-100 Jahre Mercedes-Benz.
In the 1976 German Grand Prix, his car skidded off the track and exploded into flames, nearly killing him.
He received severe burns to his head and swallowed hot toxic fumes while trapped in the debris. He went into a coma shortly after the accident, but he survived and underwent major plastic surgery. However, the automobile accident did not deter him from continuing his journey, and he returned his son after recovering from his race.
Niki is the only driver to have won championships with both Ferrari and McLaren, the two most successful manufacturers in the sport. He is the founder, CEO, and occasional pilot of Lauda Air, Austria’s second-largest commercial airline, as well as a Ferrari consultant.
The Age of Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda, better known as Niki Lauda (The Rat), was born in Vienna, Austria, on February 22, 1949, to Ernst-Peter Lauda and Elisabeth Lauda. He was raised in a family of affluent industrialists who owned a chain of paper mills.
Niki didn’t show much promise in school, and despite his parents’ wishes for him to pursue a career in business, he was set on becoming a racing driver. Later, he faked a high school credential to present to his parents in order to persuade them to spend money for a Volkswagen.
Niki Lauda’s net worth is in the millions.
Niki’s career as a racing driver began in 1968 when he competed in a motor race in Mühlbacken, where he excelled on the hills and finished second overall.
After obtaining a car, he was offered a ride in the ‘Austro-Kaimann’ ‘Formula Vee’ team in 1969, where he competed in thirteen ‘Formula V’ races, winning two.
When Enzo Ferrari, the owner of the ‘Ferrari’ team, saw him and inquired about him, he received an encouraging reply from his ‘BRM’ teammate Clay Regazzoni, who eventually rejoined ‘Ferrari.’
Niki is currently the Founder/Co-Founder of Lauda Air and has a net worth of $100 million.
Niki’s wife is his junior by 21 years.
Niki Lauda, a Formula One racing legend, married the lady who saved his life. Today, whenever his wife’s name comes up in an interview, he refers to her as someone who gave her a second chance.
After a four-year courtship, the 59-year-old married Birgit Wetzinger, a 29-year-old former stewardess. He decided to meet her when she gave one of her kidneys to Niki, and their love affair began from there.
It’s one thing to crush someone, but it’s quite another to donate an organ. Birgit’s love for Niki and his respect for her are the reasons they are still together today, living as a family with their twin children, a boy and a girl.
Niki, on the other hand, isn’t married for the first time. He was formerly married to Marlene Knaus, whom he married in 1976. Mathias and Lukas, their two sons, were born to them. However, 15 years of marriage was not enough for them, and they divorced in 1991.
