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Coordinates: 50°20′08″N 6°56′51″E / 50.33556°N 6.9475°E / 50.33556; 6.9475

Nürburgring
Formula One Layout – GP-Strecke

Location	Nürburg, Germany
Time zone	GMT +1 (DST: +2)
FIA Grade	1
Major events	FIA Formula One German Grand Prix European Grand Prix Luxembourg Grand Prix Superbike World Championship, DTM, 24 Hours Nürburgring, 1000km Nürburgring, VLN
GP-Strecke (1984–2001)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	4.556 km (2.831 mi)
Turns	12
Lap record	1:18.354 (minutes) ( Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW, 2001, Formula One)
GP-Strecke (2002–present)
Length	5.148 km (3.199 mi)
Turns	16
Lap record	1:29.468 (minutes) ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004, Formula One)
Nordschleife (1983–present)
Surface	Asphalt/concrete
Length	20.81 km (12.93 mi)
Turns	154
Lap record	6:11.13 (minutes) ( Stefan Bellof, Porsche (956), 1983, WSC)
Combined circuit (1984–present)
Surface	Asphalt/concrete
Length	25.947 km (16.123 mi)
Turns	170
Lap record	8:26.730 (minutes) ( Timo Bernhard, Porsche (997 GT3 RSR), 2008 24 Hours Nürburgring, FIA GT2)
Nordschleife (1927–1982)
Surface	Asphalt/Concrete
Length	22.8 km (14.2 mi)
Turns	160
Lap record	6:58.6 (minutes) ( Niki Lauda, Ferrari, 1975, Formula One)
Südschleife (1927–1982)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	7.747 km (4.814 mi)
Turns	27
Lap record	2:44.0 (minutes) ( Jacky Ickx, Ferrari, 1968, Formula Two)

The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about 70 km (43 mi) south of Cologne, and 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Frankfurt. The old track was nicknamed "The Green Hell" by Jackie Stewart and is widely considered one of the most demanding purpose-built racing circuits in the world.^[1]

Originally, the track featured four configurations: the 28.265 km (17.563 mi)-long Gesamtstrecke ("Whole Course"), which in turn consisted of the 22.810 km (14.173 mi) Nordschleife ("Northern Loop"), and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife ("Southern Loop"). There also was a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife ("Finish Loop") or better known as Betonschleife, around the pit area.^[2]

Between 1982 and 1983 the start-finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke, and this is used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife is still in use, for racing, testing and public access.

History[link]

1927–1939: The beginning of the "Nürburg-Ring"[link]

In the early 1920s ADAC Eifelrennen races were held on public roads in the Eifel mountains. This soon was considered impractical and dangerous. The construction of a dedicated race track was proposed, following the examples of Italy's Monza and Berlin's AVUS, yet with a different character. The layout of the circuit in the mountains was similar to the Targa Florio, one of the most important motor races at that time. The original Nürburgring was to be a showcase for German automotive engineering and racing talent. Construction of the track, designed by the Eichler Architekturbüro from Ravensburg (led by Architect Gustav Eichler), began in September 1925.

The track was completed in spring of 1927, and the ADAC Eifelrennen races were continued there. The first World Cycling Championship race took place on 19 June 1927, and the first German Grand Prix a month later. In addition, the track was opened to the public in the evenings and at weekends, as a one-way toll road. The whole track consisted of 174 bends (prior to 1971 changes), and was 8 to 9 metres (26 to 30 ft) in width on average. The fastest ever time around the full Gesamtstrecke was by Louis Chiron, at an average speed of 112.31 km/h (72 mph) in his Bugatti.

In 1939 the full Ring was used for the last time in major racing events, as future Grands Prix would be held only on the Nordschleife. Motorcycles and minor races mainly used the shorter and safer Südschleife. Memorable pre-war races at the circuit featured the talents of early Ringmeisters (Ringmasters) such as Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari and Bernd Rosemeyer.

1947–1970: The Green Hell[link]

Nürburgring circuit map, taken at German Grand Prix 1964; the legend advises "No driving in the Eifel (mountains) without a lap on the Nürburgring"

After World War II, racing recommenced in the 1950s and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring again became the main venue for the German Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship (with the exception of 1959 when it was held on the AVUS in Berlin). A new group of Ringmeisters arose to dominate the race – Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx.

On 5 August 1961, during practice for the 1961 German Grand Prix, Phil Hill became the first person to complete a lap of the Nordschleife in under 9 minutes, with a lap of 8 minutes 55.2 seconds (153.4 km/h or 95.3 mph) in the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" Formula One car. Forty years later, the highest performing road cars have difficulty breaking 8 minutes without a professional racing driver or one very familiar with the track. Also, several rounds of the German motorcycle Grand Prix were held, mostly on the 7.7 km (4.8 mi) "Südschleife", but the Hockenheimring and Solituderennen were the main sites for Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

In 1953, the ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring race was introduced, an Endurance race and Sports car racing event that counted towards the World Sportscar Championship for decades. The 24 Hours Nürburgring for touring car racing was added in 1970.

By the late 1960s, the Nordschleife and many other tracks were becoming increasingly dangerous for the latest generation of F1 cars. In 1967, a chicane was added before the start/finish straight, called Hohenrain, in order to reduce speeds at the pit lane entry. This made the track 25 metres (about 80 feet) longer. In 1970, after the fatal crash of Piers Courage at Zandvoort, the F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the Ring unless major changes were made, as they did at Spa the year before. The changes were not possible on short notice, and the German GP was moved to the Hockenheimring which already had been modified.

1971–1983: Changes[link]

The Nordschleife from 1967-1982

In accordance with the demands of the F1 drivers the Nordschleife was reconstructed by taking out some bumps, smoothing out some sudden jumps (particularly at Brünnchen) and installing Armco safety barriers. The track was made straighter, following the race line, which reduced the number of corners. The German GP could be hosted at the Ring again, for another three years from 1971 to 1973.

In 1973 the entrance into the dangerous and bumpy Kallenhard corner was made slower by adding another left-hand corner after the fast Metzgesfeld sweeping corner. Safety was improved again later on, e.g. by removing the jumps on the long main straight and widening it and taking away the bushes right next to the track at the main straight, which made that section of the Ring dangerously narrow. A second series of three more F1 races were held until 1976, but even higher demands by the F1 drivers and the FIA's CSI commission were too expensive or impossible to meet. So the 1976 race was deemed the last ever, even before it was held.

Primarily due to its length of over 22 kilometres (14 mi), and the lack of space due to its situation on the sides of the mountains, the Ring was unable to meet the safety requirements, and was also unsuitable for the burgeoning television market. Niki Lauda, the reigning world champion and only person ever to lap the full 22,835-metre (14.189 mi) Nordschleife in under 7 minutes (6:58.6, 1975), proposed to the other drivers that they boycott the circuit in 1976 because of the safety arrangements. The other drivers voted against the idea and the race went ahead. Lauda, ironically, crashed in his Ferrari coming out of the left hand kink before Bergwerk, probably due to failure of the rear suspension. He was badly burned as his car was still loaded with fuel in lap 2. Lauda was saved by the combined actions of fellow drivers Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards, Brett Lunger, and Harald Ertl, rather than by the ill equipped track marshals.

The crash also showed that the distances were rather long for regular fire engines and ambulances, even though the "ONS-Staffel" was equipped with a Porsche 911 rescue car, marked (R). This crash marked the end of the old Nürburgring for Formula One. It never hosted another F1 race again as the German Grand Prix was moved to the Hockenheimring for 1977.

The German motorcycle Grand Prix was held for the last time on the old Ring in 1980, moving also permanently to Hockenheim. A year later, in 1981, work began on a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long new circuit which was built on and around the old pits area. At the same time a bypass shortened the Nordschleife to 20,832 m (12.947 mi) and, with an additional small pit lane, this version was used for races in 1983, e.g. the 1000km Nürburgring endurance race, while construction work was going on nearby. In training for that race, the late Stefan Bellof set the all-time lap record for the 20.8 km (12.9 mi) Nordschleife in his Porsche 956, which is still unbeaten at 6:11.13, or over 200 km/h (120 mph) in average – partially because no major racing has taken place there since 1984.

The Nordschleife was re-built yet again in 1982–1983, adding more run-off areas at corners like Aremberg and Brünnchen, where originally there were just embankments protected by Armco. The track surface was made safer in some spots where there were nasty bumps and jumps before. Racing line markers were added to the corners all around the track as well. Also, bushes and hedges at the edges of corners were taken out and replaced with Armco and grass.

The former Südschleife had not been modified in 1970/71 and was abandoned a few years later in favour of the improved Nordschleife. It is now mostly gone (in part due to the construction of the new circuit) or converted to a normal public road, but since 2005 a vintage car event has been hosted on the old track layout, including part of the parking area.^[3]

1984: The new Grand Prix track[link]

Detailed Nürburgring map showing the Nordschleife.

The new Nürburgring was completed in 1984 and called GP-Strecke. It was built to meet the highest safety standards, but was considered in character a mere shadow of its older sibling. Some fans, who had to sit much farther away from the track, called it Eifelring, Ersatzring, Green Party Ring or similar, believing it did not deserve to be called Nürburgring.

The new circuit also had a characteristic of many of the circuits at the time, in that it offered few overtaking opportunities.

To celebrate its opening, an exhibition race was held, on 12 May, featuring an array of notable drivers. Driving identical Mercedes 190E 2.3–16, the line-up was Elio de Angelis, Jack Brabham (Formula 1 World Champion 1959, 1960, 1966), Phil Hill (1961), Denis Hulme (1967), James Hunt (1976), Alan Jones (1980), Jacques Laffite, Niki Lauda (1975, 1977 *), Stirling Moss, Alain Prost *, Carlos Reutemann, Keke Rosberg (1982), Jody Scheckter (1979), Ayrton Senna *, John Surtees (1964) and John Watson. Senna won ahead of Lauda, Reutemann, Rosberg, Watson, Hulme and Jody Scheckter, being the only one to resist Lauda's overwhelming performance who - having missed the qualifying - had to start from the last row and overtook all the others except Senna ^[4] .^[5][6] The * in the previous paragraph indicates that titles which were not yet won at the time of the race are not mentioned here - so there were nine former and two future Formula 1 World Champions competing, quite a good rate in a field of 20 cars with 16 Formula 1 drivers; the other four were rather local drivers: Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Schurti, Udo Schütz and Hans Herrmann.

Besides other major international events, it has seen the brief return of Formula One to the 'Ring, as the 1984 European Grand Prix was held at the track, followed by the 1985 German Grand Prix. As F1 did not stay, other events were the highlights at the new Ring, 1000km Nürburgring, DTM, motorcycles, and rather new type of events, like Truck Racing, Vintage car racing at the AvD "Oldtimer Grand Prix", and even the "Rock am Ring" concerts.

Following the success and first world championship of Michael Schumacher, a second German F1 race was held at the Ring between 1995 and 2006, called the European Grand Prix or, in 1997 and 1998, the Luxembourg Grand Prix.

For 2002, the track was changed, by replacing the former "Castrol-chicane" at the end of the start/finish straight by a sharp right-hander (nicknamed "Haug-Hook"), in order to create an overtaking opportunity. Also, a slow Omega-shaped section was inserted, on the site of the former kart track. This extended the GP track from 4,500 to 5,200 m (2.80 to 3.23 mi), while at the same time, the Hockenheimring was shortened from 6,800 to 4,500 m (4.23 to 2.80 mi).

Both the Ring and the Hockenheimring events have been losing money due to high and rising licence fees charged by Bernie Ecclestone and low attendance due to high ticket prices^{[citation needed]}; starting with the 2007 Formula One season, Hockenheim and Nürburgring will alternate for hosting of the German GP.

In F1, Ralf Schumacher hit his brother in 1997, which may have cost Michael the championship. In 1999, in changing conditions, Johnny Herbert managed to score the only win for the team of former Ringmeister Jackie Stewart. One of the highlights of the 2005 season was Kimi Räikkönen's spectacular exit, while in the last lap of the race, when his suspension gave way after being rattled lap after lap by a flat-spotted tire that was not changed due to the short lived "one set of tires" rule.

Prior to the 2007 European Grand Prix, the Audi S (bends 8 and 9) was renamed Schumacher S after Michael Schumacher, so Schumi is the first active Formula One Driver who drove through his "own" Chicane.

Alternation with Hockenheim[link]

In 2007 the FIA announced that Hockenheimring and Nurburgring would alternate with the German Grand Prix with Nurburgring hosting in 2007. Due to name licensing problems, it was held as the European Grand Prix that year. However in 2008 the European Grand Prix was held at Valencia Street Circuit, Eastern Spain.

Panorama main entrance of Nürburgring

Fatal accidents[link]

While it is unusual for deaths to occur during sanctioned races, there are many accidents and several deaths each year during public sessions. It is common for the track to be closed several times a day for cleanup, repair, and medical intervention. While track management does not publish any official figures, several regular visitors to the track have used police reports to estimate the number of fatalities at somewhere between 3 and 12 in a full year.^[7]

Nordschleife racing today[link]

Several touring car series are still competing on the Nordschleife, using either only the simple 20.8 km (12.9 mi) version with its separate small pit lane, or a combined 24.4 km (15.2 mi) long track that uses a part of the modern F1 track plus its huge pit facilities. Entry level of competition is a regularity test (GLP) for road legal cars. Two racing series (RCN/CHC and VLN) compete on 15 Saturdays each year, for several hours.

The annual highlight is the 24 Hours Nürburgring weekend, held usually in mid-May, featuring 220 cars (from small 100 hp (75 kW) cars to 700 hp (520 kW) Turbo Porsches or 500 hp (370 kW) factory race cars built by BMW, Opel, Audi, Mercedes-Benz), over 700 drivers (amateurs and professionals) and up to 290,000 spectators.

Automotive media outlets and manufacturers use the Nordschleife as a standard to publish their lap times achieved with production vehicles.

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld made history on 28 April 2007 as the first driver in over 30 years to tackle the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in a contemporary Formula One car. Heidfeld’s 3 demonstration laps round the German circuit in an F1.06 were the highlight of festivities celebrating BMW’s contribution to motorsport. About 45,000 spectators showed up for the main event, the 3rd 4 hour VLN race of the season, and the subsequent show by Heidfeld. Conceived largely as a photo opportunity, the lap times were not as low as the car was capable of, BMW instead choosing to run the chassis at a particularly high ride height to allow for the Nordschleife's abrupt gradient changes and limit maximum speeds accordingly. Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck was injured during the VLN race when he crashed his BMW Z4.

Nordschleife public access[link]

The Nordschleife has remained a one-way, public toll-road for nearly 80 years except when it is closed off for testing purposes, training lessons, or racing events. Since its opening in 1927 the track has been used by the public for the so-called "Touristenfahrten," i.e. to anyone with a road legal car or motorcycle, as well as tour buses, motor homes, or cars with trailers. It is opened mainly on Sundays, but also many Saturdays and weekday evenings. The track may be closed for weeks during the winter months depending on weather conditions and maintenance work.

Nordschleife is often open to the public. Three Caterhams are entering Brünnchen, a spectator vantage point.

Porsche GT3 RS approaching Adenauer Forst, a blind chicane on the Nordschleife.

Crashed BMW Z3 M coupé on the recovery truck

German road law applies during Touristenfahrten sessions. There is no general speed limit although speed limits exist in certain areas in order to reduce noise and risks. Passing on the right is prohibited and the police prosecute poor driving with the aid of helicopters.

The cost of driving a single lap of the Nordschleife is €26 for each car or motorcycle. Multi-lap tickets can be purchased for a lower per-lap price, such as four laps at a cost of €95 (€23.75 per lap). Additional multi-lap prices are 25 laps for €490, 15 laps are no longer available. An annual ticket (called a Jahreskarte) with unlimited laps, valid from January 1 to December 31, can be purchased for €1445. Twenty minutes' driving the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit is €40, and 2 "20 minutes drives" for €75. All prices are current for the 2012 calendar year and include VAT.^[8]

All laps apart from Jahreskarte are added to the new local payment system "ring°card" which works on the same principle as an Oyster travel card. This ring card stores your laps and will also be used instead of cash in a lot of the local Nürburgring GmbH-owned shops, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. With the exception of one lap tickets, every lap ticket bought has credit for food and drinks at the Eifeldorf Grüne Hölle village and free entry to the ring°werk museum.

This Nürburgring version is a popular attraction for many driving and riding enthusiasts from all over the world, partly because of its history and the challenge it provides. The lack of oncoming traffic and intersections sets it apart from regular roads, and the absence of a blanket speed limit makes it an additional attraction.

Normal ticket buyers on these tourist days cannot quite complete a full lap of the 20.8 km (12.9 mi) Nordschleife, which bypasses the modern GP-Strecke, as they are required to slow down and pass through a 200-metre (220 yd) "pit lane" section where the toll gates are installed. On busier days a mobile ticket barrier is installed on the main straight in order to reduce the length of queues at the fixed barriers. This is open to all ticket holders. On rare occasions it is possible to drive both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit combined.

Drivers interested in lap times often time themselves from the first bridge after the barriers to the last gantry before the exit.^{[citation needed]} In the event of an accident the local police are known to make note of any timing devices present (stopwatches, etc.) in the police report.^{[citation needed]} The driver's insurance coverage may consequently be voided, leaving the driver fully liable for damage. Normal, non-racing, non-timed driving accidents should be covered by driver's insurance,^[9] but it is increasingly common for UK insurers especially to put in exclusion clauses that mean drivers and riders have third-party cover only^{[citation needed]} or none at all.^[10]

The 'Ring has caught many people out as there is very little run-off and the Armco barrier will be hit at almost any speed should a vehicle leave the tarmac. The Teffers straight between Adenauer Forst and Metzgesfeld is known for its high number of expensive accidents.

Drivers who do crash have a responsibility of warning following vehicles that there has been an incident. If an accident occurs typical passer-by procedure is to stop only if needed (needs include stopping to render first aid or to warn incoming traffic). Follow up accidents are frequent and, the less chaos at a scene, the less chance for another "follow-up" accident to occur. The 'Ring, although for all intents and purposes a race track when used for racing, still remains a public road when opened to the public and is policed as such. Anyone caught or reported as driving dangerously can be fined or banned by the authorities. The costs can also be prohibitive with vehicle recovery, track closure penalties, and Armco repairs costing up to €15,000 out-of-pocket.^{[citation needed]}

Commercial aspects[link]

One of the original purposes of the Nordschleife was as a test track for auto manufacturers, and its demanding layout had been traditionally used as a proving ground. Weekdays are often booked for so-called Industriefahrten for auto makers and the media. With the advent of the internet, awareness of the Nordschleife has risen in Germany and abroad, also in print media. In 1999, Porsche reported that their new 996 GT3 had lapped the Ring in under eight minutes, and in subsequent years, manufacturers from overseas also showed up to test cars. Some high performance models are promoted with videotaped laps published on the web, and the claimed lap times are generating discussions. Few of these supercars are actually entered in racing where the claims could be backed up.

The TV Series Top Gear has also used the Nordschleife for its challenges, often involving Sabine Schmitz. In addition, during series 17 (summer 2011) of Top Gear, James May was very critical of the ride quality of cars whose development process included testing on the Nordschleife.

Other pastimes are hosted at the Ring, like since 1985 the "Rock am Ring", Germany's biggest Rock Festival, attracting close to 100,000 rock fans each year. In 2009, new commercial areas including a hotel and shopping mall opened. The rollercoaster "ring°racer" was scheduled to be opened in 2011.

Nordschleife map[link]

Locations of note[link]

Flugplatz ("Airfield")[link]

The Nordschleife was formerly known for its abundance of sharp crests, causing fast moving, firmly sprung racing cars to jump clear off the track surface at many locations. Although by no means the most fearsome, Flugplatz is perhaps the most aptly (although coincidentally) named and widely remembered. The name of this part of the track comes from a small airfield, which was located in the early years close to the track in this area. The track becomes a very short straight that climbs sharply uphill for a short time, then it suddenly drops slightly downhill and this is immediately followed by two very fast right hand kinks. Chris Irwin's career was ended following a massive accident at Flugplatz, in a Ford 3L GT sports car in 1968. Manfred Winkelhock flipped his March F2 car at the same corner in 1980.

Bergwerk ("The Mine")[link]

Perhaps the most notorious corner on the long circuit, Bergwerk has been responsible for some serious and fatal accidents. A tight righthand corner, coming just after a long, fast section and a lefthand kink on a small crest, where Carel Godin de Beaufort fatally crashed. The fast kink was also the scene of Niki Lauda's infamous fiery accident during the 1976 German Grand Prix. This left kink is often referred to as the Lauda Links (Lauda left)

Caracciola Karussell ("The Carousel")[link]

Although being one of the slower corners on the Nordschleife, Karussell is perhaps one of its most iconic. One of two berm-style, banked corners, the entrance to the corner is blind, although Juan Manuel Fangio is reputed to have advised a young driver to "aim for the tallest tree"; a feature that was also built into the rendering of the circuit in the Gran Turismo 4 video game as well as Grand Prix Legends. The combination of a recognisable corner, slow moving cars, and the variation in viewing angle as cars rotate around the banking mean that this is one of the circuit's most popular locations for photographers. Named for Rudolf Caracciola who reportedly made the corner his own by hooking the inside tyres into a drainage ditch. As more concrete was uncovered and more competitors copied him, the trend took hold. At a later reconstruction, the corner was remade with real concrete banking, as it remains to this day.

Brünnchen ("Small Fountain")[link]

A favorite spectator vantage point, the Brünnchen section is composed of two right hand corners and a very short straight. The first corner goes sharply downhill and the next, after the very short downhill straight, goes uphill slightly. This is a section of the track where on public days, accidents happen particularly at the blind uphill right hand corner. Like almost every corner at the Nürburgring, both right handers are blind. The short straight used to have a steep and sudden drop-off that caused cars to take off; this was taken out and smoothed over when the circuit was rebuilt in 1970 and 1971.

Lap times[link]

Lap times recorded on the Nürburgring Nordschleife are published by several manufacturers. They are published and discussed in print media, and online.

• For lap times in official racing events, on several track variants from 20,8 km up to 26 km, see List of Nordschleife lap times (racing)
• For lap times of the sport auto Supertest, on an incomplete 20,6 km lap, see List of Nordschleife lap times (sport auto)
• For lap times from various sources, see Nürburgring lap times

See also[link]

Tower of the Nürburg castle

• List of races at the Nürburgring
• 1000 km Nürburgring
• 24 Hours Nürburgring
• List of Formula One circuits

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nürburgring

• Official website: German | English
• Ben Lovejoy's Nurburgring website
• Nurburgring Explorer website
• One full Nordschleife lap with an on-board camera
• One lap GP track with on-board camera

Niki Lauda

Lauda at the Nürburgring in 1973
Born	(1949-02-22) 22 February 1949 (age 63)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Austrian
Active years	1971 - 1979, 1982 - 1985
Teams	March, BRM, Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren
Races	177 (171 starts)
Championships	3 (1975, 1977, 1984)
Wins	25
Podiums	54
Career points	420.5
Pole positions	24
Fastest laps	24
First race	1971 Austrian Grand Prix
First win	1974 Spanish Grand Prix
Last win	1985 Dutch Grand Prix
Last race	1985 Australian Grand Prix

Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949 in Vienna) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.

Early years in racing[link]

Lauda was born in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy family. His paternal grandfather was the Viennese-born businessman Hans Lauda.^[1][2]

Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval. After starting out with a Mini, Lauda moved on into Formula Vee, as was normal in Central Europe, but rapidly moved up to drive in private Porsche and Chevron sports cars. His career seemed to be going nowhere in particular until he took out a large bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula 2 (F2) driver in 1971. He was quickly promoted to the F1 team and drove for March in both F1 and F2 in 1972. Although the F2 cars were good (and Lauda's test-driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd), March's 1972 F1 season was catastrophic and Lauda, in despair and deep debt, briefly contemplated suicide but finally took out yet another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team in 1973. Lauda was instantly quick but the team was in decline; his big break came when his BRM team-mate Clay Regazzoni rejoined Ferrari in 1974 and team owner Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda. Regazzoni spoke favourably of Lauda, so Ferrari promptly went and signed him, paying Niki enough to clear his debts.

Ferrari 1974-1977[link]

After an unsuccessful start to the 1970s culminating in a disastrous start to the 1973 season, Ferrari regrouped completely under Luca di Montezemolo and were resurgent in 1974. The team's faith in the little-known Lauda was quickly rewarded by a second-place finish in his début race for the team, the season-opening Argentine Grand Prix. His first Grand Prix (GP) victory – and the first for Ferrari since 1972 – followed only three races later in Spain. Although Lauda became the season's pacesetter, achieving six consecutive pole positions, a mixture of inexperience and mechanical unreliability meant Lauda won only one more race that year, the Dutch GP. He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship and demonstrated immense commitment to testing and improving the car.

The 1975 F1 season started slowly for Lauda, but after nothing better than a fifth-place finish in the first four races he then won four out of the next five races in the new Ferrari 312T. His first World Championship was confirmed with a fifth win at the last race of the year, the United States GP. He also became the first and only driver to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 7 minutes, which was considered a huge feat as the Nordschleife section of the Nürburgring was 2 miles longer than it is today.

Unlike 1975, Lauda dominated the start of the 1976 F1 season, winning four of the first six races and finishing second in the other two. By the time of his fifth win of the year at the British GP, he had more than double the points of his closest challengers Jody Scheckter and James Hunt, and a second consecutive World Championship appeared a formality. It would be a feat not achieved since Jack Brabham's victories in 1959 and 1960. He also looked set to win the most races in a season, a record held by the late Jim Clark since 1963.

Niki Lauda practicing at the Nürburgring during the 1976 German Grand Prix

A week before the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, (even though he was the fastest driver on that circuit at the time) Lauda tried to boycott the race, largely due to the 23 kilometer circuit's safety arrangements. Most of the other drivers voted against it and the race went ahead. On the second lap at the very fast left kink before Bergwerk, Lauda's Ferrari swerved off the track, due to a suspected rear suspension failure, hit an embankment and rolled back into the path of Brett Lunger's Surtees-Ford car. Lauda's Ferrari burst into flames, but, unlike Lunger, he was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers Arturo Merzario, Lunger, Guy Edwards and Harald Ertl arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before they were able to pull Lauda from his car, he suffered severe burns to his head and inhaled hot toxic gases that damaged his lungs and blood. Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into a coma.^[3]

Lauda suffered extensive scarring from the burns. He only had enough reconstructive surgery to get his eyelids to work properly, but never felt a need to do any more. His right ear is mostly gone. Since the accident he has always worn a cap to cover the scars on his head. He has arranged for sponsors to use the cap for advertising.

With Lauda out of the contest, Ferrari boycotted the Austrian GP in protest at what they saw as preferential treatment shown towards McLaren driver James Hunt at the Spanish and British GPs. Carlos Reutemann was even taken on as a potential replacement.

Lauda returned to race only six weeks (two races) later, finishing fourth in the Italian GP. In Lauda's absence, Hunt had reduced his lead in the World Championship standings. Following wins in the Canadian and United States GPs, Hunt stood only three points behind Lauda before the final race of the season, the Japanese GP.

Lauda qualified third, one place behind Hunt, but on race day there was torrential rain and Lauda retired after 2 laps, stating that he felt it was unsafe to continue under these conditions. Hunt led much of the race before a late puncture dropped him down the order. He recovered to 3rd, thus winning the title by a single point. In spite of this, Lauda's move is seen as one of the bravest examples in motor racing.

Lauda's previously good relationship with Ferrari was severely affected by his decision to withdraw from the race, and he endured a difficult 1977 season, despite easily winning the championship through consistency rather than outright pace. Having announced his decision to quit Ferrari at season's end, Lauda left early due to the team's decision to run the then unknown Gilles Villeneuve in a third car at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Brabham, retirement, McLaren comeback and second retirement 1978-1985[link]

Five years after his first retirement, Lauda won his third title driving a McLaren MP4/2.

Having joined Brabham in 1978 for a $1 million salary, Lauda endured two unsuccessful seasons, notable mainly for his one race in the Brabham BT46B, a radical design known as the Fan Car: it won its first race, but Brabham did not use the car in F1 again, not wanting the car to be banned outright. At the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, Lauda informed Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone that he wished to retire immediately, as he had no more desire to "drive around in circles". Lauda, who had founded a charter airline, returned to Austria to run the company full-time.

Needing money to shore up his new business, in 1982 Lauda returned to racing, feeling that he still had a career in Formula One. After a successful test with McLaren, the only problem was in convincing then team sponsor Marlboro that he was still capable of winning. Lauda proved he was still quite capable when, in his third race back, he won the Long Beach Grand Prix. Lauda won a third world championship in 1984 by half a point over teammate Alain Prost, due to only half points being awarded for the shortened 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. His Austrian Grand Prix victory that year is the most recent and so far only time an Austrian has won his home Grand Prix.

1985 was a poor season for Lauda, with eleven retirements from the fourteen races he started, he did not start the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps after crashing and breaking his wrist during practice, he also later missed the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch; John Watson replaced him for that race. He did manage 4th at the San Marino Grand Prix, 5th at the German Grand Prix, and a single race win at the Dutch Grand Prix. This proved to be his last Grand Prix victory and also the last Formula One Grand Prix held in the Netherlands. He retired for good at the end of that season.

Helmet[link]

Lauda's helmet originally was a plain red with his full name written on the sides and the Raiffeisen Bank logo in the chin area. He wore a modified AGV helmet in the weeks following his Nürburgring accident so as the lining would not aggravate his burned scalp too badly. In 1982, upon his return for McLaren, his helmet became white with the red 'L' of Lauda Air on the sides, complete with branding from his personal sponsor Parmalat on the top. For 1983-1985, the red and white were reversed to evoke memories of his earlier design.

Life after F1 1986-[link]

Lauda returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his second Formula One retirement in 1985. During his time as airline manager, he was appointed consultant at Ferrari as part of an effort by Montezemolo to rejuvenate the team.^[4] Ousted from his airline by boardroom politics after a sale to majority partner Austrian Airlines in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team from 2001 to 2002. In late 2003, he started a new airline, Niki. Lauda holds a commercial pilot's license and from time to time acts as a captain on the flights of his airline.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993 and since 1996 has provided commentary on Grands Prix for Austrian and German television on RTL. He was, however, rapped for calling Robert Kubica a "polack" on air in May 2010 at the Monaco Grand Prix.^[5][6]

Niki Lauda has written five books: The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving (titled Formula 1: The Art and Technicalities of Grand Prix Driving in some markets) (1975); My Years With Ferrari (1978); The New Formula One: A Turbo Age (1984); Meine Story (titled To Hell and Back in some markets) (1986); Das dritte Leben (1996).^[7] Lauda credits Austrian journalist Herbert Volker with editing the books.

Lauda is sometimes known by the nickname "the rat", "SuperRat" or "King Rat" because of his prominent bucked teeth. He has been associated with both Parmalat and Viessmann, sponsoring his ever faithful 'cappy' from 1976 onwards, used to hide the severe burns he sustained in his 1976 accident. Lauda admitted in a 2009 interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit that an advertiser currently pays €1.2m for the space on his famous red cap.^[8]

In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 22nd on their top drivers of all-time.^[9] In 2005 the Austrian post office issued a stamp honouring him.^[10]

Lauda is played by Daniel Bruhl in the 2012 Ron Howard film Rush about the 1976 Formula One season.

Personal life[link]

Lauda had two sons with his first wife, Marlene: Mathias, a racing driver himself, and Lukas, his brother's manager. They divorced in 1991. He also has an illegitimate son, Christoph. In 2008 he married Birgit, who was 30 years his junior and was formerly a flight attendant for his airline. She had also donated a kidney to Lauda when the kidney he received in a transplant from his brother years earlier failed. In September 2009 Birgit gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.^[11]

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)