Portrait of the artist as a young man: Lauda’s broad, toothy grin was an early trademark
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‘EXTRAORDINARY’ SCARCELY DOES HIM justice. Niki Lauda rarely features near the top when motor sport’s alltime greats are discussed, but three world titles put him very firmly in that bracket. Andreas Nikolaus Lauda was an exceptionally fine racing driver – and an even more remarkable human being. His death on May 20 will be felt far beyond the sport he graced.
Perhaps his reputation suffers because of his cerebral, calculating style. He didn’t have the overt flamboyance of Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson or a young Jody Scheckter, but he understood that winning races was not necessarily the key to securing motor racing’s biggest prize. In two of his three title seasons – 1977 and 1984 – he scored fewer victories than some key rivals, yet accumulated more points. Such shrewd methodology contrasts sharply with the kind of financial risks the younger Lauda took to secure himself a seat at motor racing’s top table.