Niki Lauda passes away

[gooner1]

Hero is an overused term in most circumstances nowadays.
But in Nikki Lauda's case it's entirely fitting.

RIP.

[Eric Mc]

TheDeuce said:

Very sad news to wake up to

Certainly a life to be celebrated, and it will be. The mood at Monaco is going to strange no doubt, but I'm sure the guys will all know he would expect to see them focus on the race.

People often say there is more to celebrate than be sad about, and I think with Niki that's more true than ever. Passing away now, is a reminder of the extra life he fought for after the accident, and how well he made use of all those extra years, and became a huge inspiration.

RIP Niki.

Couldn't put it better myself. In a world stuffed full of pseudo-heroes, Lauda was the real deal.

[TheDeuce]

Eric Mc said:

Couldn't put it better myself. In a world stuffed full of pseudo-heroes, Lauda was the real deal.

Thanks - and yes, a real hero. Literally and in some ways metaphorically burned by the sport, yet returned and conquered all. Then hung around to inspire others.

[Mark A S]

Bebee said:

I'd like to think Nikki and James are having a proper Piss up together again now. RIP Nikki.

[Nickp82]

Very sad to hear this, Lauda is very much part of the fabric that made up F1. RIP

[RemyMartin81D]

Woke up and saw the news. Very sad to read of his passing

RIP Niki. You were an old skool rufty tufty hero and legend.

[Escort3500]

Mark A S said:

Bebee said:

I'd like to think Nikki and James are having a proper Piss up together again now. RIP Nikki.

Me too. Their enmity in ‘Rush’ was, I suspect, a poor attempt at making the film more edgy; they were apparently good buddies away from the track and had a great respect for each other according to most F1 pundits at the time.

I hate the terms ‘hero’ and ‘legend’ as they’re bandied around completely inappropriately these days, but in Lauda’s case they are hugely fitting.

[mattikake]

Damn. I knew it. He had that double lung transplant (or whatever the exact details were) about 6 months ago and then he never came back.

Then you see a news feed, read the name and get that little adrenal shock inside, you know what's happened before you get to read the rest of the sentence.

[anonymous-user]

His son, Mathias, is racing at Le Mans in a few weeks. I really hope he does well. He will get a huge cheer that's for certain.
RIP Niki. A proper hero.

[Roofless Toothless]

Perhaps somebody with more knowledge of the sport than me could explain, but in his non-executive role, how much of the recent success of Mercedes can be ascribed to Lauda's presence?

[iandc]

A true hero and inspiration both on and off the track. I believe I read somewhere that Nicky was instrumental in bringing Lewis to Mercedes. If that is the case he has done more in his racing career than most if not all F1 drivers. Won on the track and inspired others once he had retired. I always looked forward to his post race interviews as he told it how it was with no bull whether good or bad.

[2fast748]

Roofless Toothless said:

Perhaps somebody with more knowledge of the sport than me could explain, but in his non-executive role, how much of the recent success of Mercedes can be ascribed to Lauda's presence?

He persuaded Lewis to drive for them!

Niki was the kind of person that makes F1 drivers heroes and legends so those words are entirely fitting for him now.

[TheDeuce]

Roofless Toothless said:

Perhaps somebody with more knowledge of the sport than me could explain, but in his non-executive role, how much of the recent success of Mercedes can be ascribed to Lauda's presence?

Well.. imagine you're working in the team, and you're up against it. You really don't want to do another 16 hour shift, you're worn out and have some personal issues on your mind too. Your motivation starts to falter, you feel you can give no more than you have already, and the result of your work, will just have to be good enough.

Then you glance up and see the face of a man who was burned racing, yet survived against all expectation, returned and conquered, walk past the window..

I'd imagine his past and inner strength would help most people find an extra few % within their own efforts.

[Petrus1983]

So sad - one of the true legends of the sport. Monaco will really feel it this weekend.

[iandc]

Petrus1983 said:

So sad - one of the true legends of the sport. Monaco will really feel it this weekend.

Agreed. I do hope Mercedes can get a 1-2 and Lewis dedicates his win to a true hero of the sport. I guess the Mercedes drivers will do something special on their helmets and cars.

[Petrus1983]

Lewis has been very open about his respect/friendship with Lauda so I feel sorry for him. I doubt once you get to his level there’s that many people you can really be open with/trust who get what you’re talking about.

[paua]

iandc said:

Petrus1983 said:

So sad - one of the true legends of the sport. Monaco will really feel it this weekend.

Agreed. I do hope Mercedes can get a 1-2 and Lewis dedicates his win to a true hero of the sport. I guess the Mercedes drivers will do something special on their helmets and cars.

And Ferrari & McLaren - he's the only driver to win titles for both the sport's most successful teams.

[Elderly]

I hated seeing the Tiger Woods "Greatest comeback in sports" headlines after he won 'The Masters' this year.

That honour must belong to Lauda for his successful return to racing in 1976 so soon after his accident.

[paua]

Elderly said:

I hated seeing the Tiger Woods "Greatest comeback in sports" headlines after he won 'The Masters' this year.

That honour must belong to Lauda for his successful return to racing in 1976 so soon after his accident.

Had the same thought at the time.

[anonymous-user]

iandc said:

Agreed. I do hope Mercedes can get a 1-2 and Lewis dedicates his win to a true hero of the sport. I guess the Mercedes drivers will do something special on their helmets and cars.

I am not a Lewis fan, but I really want him to win this weekend. A Ferrari on the podium and a good showing by McLaren would be good too.