Niki Lauda Tribute: Top 5 Wins of the Legend

Niki Lauda, one of the legends of Formula One lost his life on 20th May 2019 as he passed away in his sleep. He was a 3-time drivers champion and currently affiliated with Mercedes (he has 10 percent ownership of the team). Lauda was a regular figure in the paddock until last year when he needed to have a Lung transplant after suffering from a Lung infection. Niki is famously remembered for his comeback in 1976 when a crash in Nurburgring almost claimed his life but he was able to jump back into the car in just 42 days since the accident.

A well-respected figure, Niki Lauda was an inspirational figure for many in the F1 fraternity and would always be remembered as someone who spoke his mind without any fear. He also holds the distinction of being the only driver to win the title with both Ferrari and Mclaren. As a tribute to Niki, we revisit 5 of the best race wins of his career.

#1 1974 Spanish Grand Prix

It was the race which finally put Niki on the map in Formula One

In many ways, this was the race that put Niki on the map of Formula One. Everybody knew he was talented and had great skills when it came to car development. Yet he was still viewed as a pay driver who paid his way into F1. On Clay Regazzoni's reference, Enzo Ferrari had hired Niki.

And with his first win that too in the wet weather conditions after consistently fighting throughout the race with Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx, Niki was able to establish himself as one of the top dogs in Formula One at that time.

#2 1977 Dutch Grand Prix

This was the last time Niki won in Ferrari colors

This was the final victory for the Niki Lauda-Scuderia Ferrari marriage. Niki Lauda would be in his last season with Ferrari (a season that he won't even see through) and it would be the year of his second championship triumph in Formula One. Niki would come through the field yet again and show immense maturity as despite starting in P4 and having a piece of comparatively slower machinery he would take the advantage of James Hunt and Mario Andretti tripping over each other and handing him the race on a platter.

This race would turn out to be the last time Niki would win for Scuderia Ferrari and it ended a tumultuous relationship between the two immovable forces in Enzo Ferrari and Niki Lauda. A relationship which turned sour when Ferrari had hired Carlos Reutemann in their team to challenge Niki and when Niki had opted to sit out the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix.

#3 1982 United States Grand Prix

Niki showed he had lost none of his class when he returned to racing and won his third race

Lauda returned to competitive racing for an unprecedented salary of $3m with McLaren in 1982 after a self-imposed retirement. Initially, it was said that Marlboro wasn't entirely sure about paying Lauda such a huge sum to return to racing. They were not entirely sure how good he was going to be. Soon in his comeback, Lauda dispelled all those fears as he came back and won his third race as he returned to competitive racing.

In a race heavily reliant on the rubber the drivers had underneath them, Lauda intentionally kept a fresh set of Hard tire available for the race. The polesitter, Andrea De Cesaris, set his lap on the softer rubber. In a race of attrition, Lauda kept a calm head and ultimately prevailed as he overtook De Cesaris and went on to win by a huge margin.

#4 1984 Italian Grand Prix

In a season that was closely fought between Lauda and Prost, Niki came out on top with such resilient performances

The 1984 Italian Grand Prix was another showpiece of the resilient nature displayed by Niki as despite suffering from severe back issues he was able to carve his way through the field by his measured approach and knowing when to attack. It was a season in which Mclaren was in a class of its own. It was a closely fought contest between both the Mclaren drivers and every race was crucial.

Despite having severe back problems throughout the race Lauda never used that as an excuse and despite falling back to 7th after the first lap he was able to gradually claw his way back into winning contention and then overtake Fabi and Tambay to take what would be his 5th and a highly decisive win for that season.

#5 1985 Dutch Grand Prix

Niki ultimately triumphed in what turned out to be a close battle between the two teammates

In what turned out to be his last season and his last victory. Niki, in a car that was nowhere close to his liking, put together a great race which involved continuous jostling for the lead in the last 12 laps of the race. Niki won the race against his hard-charging teammate (Alain Prost) with a meager gap of .232 seconds as both the drivers threw the kitchen sink at it.

It was a race that personified Niki's skill, car control, and race management to the utmost. Despite Prost leading the race for a long time, Niki was able to grab the initiative when he pitted and was able to snatch the victory. In what would turn out to be his last victory the legend showed he had still not lost any of his ability.