The careers of Formula 1 drivers are often linked to their helmets, today characterized by the most varied graphics possible. For this reason, many of these helmets become collectible items, especially if connected to particular events.

Such is the case with the Ferrari helmet used by Niki Lauda during the 1976 German Grand Prix, which will be auctioned during the upcoming Miami Grand Prix weekend.

The Austrian driver was involved in the tragic accident at that race, which markedly influenced his career and life. The red helmet, which survived the incredible Nurburgring fire, will thus end up in the hands of some lucky collector.

Just after navigating the quick left kink preceding the Bergwerk right-hand turn, Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T2 abruptly veered right, spinning off the track through the fencing and into an earth bank. The impact sent the car rebounding onto the track, immediately engulfed in flames. Guy Edwards narrowly avoided the Ferrari, but Brett Lunger collided with it, subsequently leading to Harald Ertl crashing into Lunger’s car. All three drivers stopped their cars and attempted to rescue Lauda from the inferno. They were soon joined by Arturo Merzario, who parked his Wolf Williams upon witnessing the accident. Lauda sustained severe burns and was quickly airlifted to the Bundeswehr hospital in Koblenz. He was then transported to the Trauma Clinic in Ludwigshafen, which housed Germany’s most sophisticated burn unit at that time, where he underwent critical treatment over the following days after the incident in the 1976 German Grand Prix.

The starting bid is expected to be around sixty thousand dollars, and part of the proceeds will be donated to charity. “We are happy that our father can still contribute in some way to help those who need support and assistance,” stated his son Lukas. “UNICEF really does a lot to help those in need, and we are very proud to be able to contribute even in a small part.”

The auction will take place in front of the Miami circuit podium and will feature twenty-five collectors who have been invited for the occasion. “It is an honor for us to handle such a valuable piece like Niki Lauda’s helmet,” said one of the auction organizers.

All that remains is to wait a few days to see who will be the lucky one to take home such a prized and historically rich item.

The post Niki Lauda’s Ferrari helmet from Nürburgring 1976 up for auction, starting bid revealed appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

Arrival at Ferrari
The decision to bring Lauda to Ferrari was not without criticism. Up to that point, the Austrian had not shown performances that could justify his hiring. Clay Regazzoni played a crucial role in bringing him to Maranello. The Swiss driver returned to Ferrari in 1974 after a year at BRM, where he had Lauda as a teammate. The two respected each other, as revealed by Enzo Ferrari in an interview.

In Clay Regazzoni’s mind, the young Austrian was the perfect teammate, and he conveyed this to Enzo Ferrari. In BRM, he had easily beaten Lauda and could also benefit from Niki’s incredible ability to develop the car. In hindsight, it wasn’t the best choice for the Swiss driver.

Niki Lauda’s first test on the Ferrari 312B3 did not go well. The Austrian said to Corriere dello Sport: “The first test at Watkins Glen was quite disappointing.” Legend has it that when Piero Ferrari asked him about the car, Niki spoke more colorfully, saying, “It’s crap.”

In Argentina, Niki Lauda’s First Race in Ferrari
The car in ’74 immediately showed that it was much better than the previous year’s. In the Buenos Aires practice sessions, the two Ferrari cars set the first and fourth fastest times. In qualifying, Clay Regazzoni stopped at second place, while Niki Lauda finished eighth, a second behind Ronnie Peterson’s pole position.

The first lap of that race was chaotic. There was a collision between Peter Revson and Mike Hailwood, with the former blocking the track. Many drivers had to avoid the impact, but not all succeeded. Clay Regazzoni spun and had to make a comeback. Niki Lauda managed to pass unscathed. “I was lucky to get through the first corner after the big mess,” the Austrian recounted post-race.

Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!

On the penultimate lap, the standings had Denny Hulme in the lead, followed by local driver Carlos Reutemann and Niki Lauda. However, the Argentine driver ran out of fuel and was forced to retire. The Argentine Grand Prix concluded with two Ferraris on the podium, with Niki Lauda in second and Regazzoni in third after a great comeback.

What immediately struck about Niki Lauda’s debut at Ferrari was his perfection. He made no mistakes or blunders in a completely new car. The Austrian calmly commented on his performance: “I didn’t want to overdo it.” Even Luca di Montezemolo, the sports director at the time, was very impressed with what Lauda did. “He has shown he’s up to the best. I am confident.”

History will tell us that he had every reason to be. 15 victories, 32 podiums, and 23 pole positions were Lauda’s stats at Ferrari. The first victory came in the Spanish Grand Prix later that year. In 1975 and 1977, the Austrian became the world champion with the Scuderia. He likely would have won in ’76 if not for the tragic accident at the Nürburgring.

The relationship between Niki and Ferrari broke down at the end of ’77. “I’ve decided not to race for you anymore,” Lauda told Enzo after already signing an agreement with Brabham. The Austrian didn’t even race the last two races of ’77. In his place came another driver who will forever remain in the hearts of the tifosi, Gilles Villeneuve.

Source: f1ingenerale

The post Niki Lauda: 50 years ago, a dream debut with Ferrari that amazed Luca di Montezemolo appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

This revelation comes from Joshua Vides, a graphic designer who has been creating concepts for the Scuderia Ferrari for several years.

“I took inspiration from one of my favorite drivers, Niki Lauda,” writes the artist on his social media profile. He is also inspired by a gallery of photos featuring two images of the three-time Austrian world champion. One from the past, one from the present: inside the car, he is wearing the Ferrari suit and two blue belts.

The same color has also been incorporated into the shoes that are part of Ferrari’s merchandise for Las Vegas.

A tribute to the glorious past
In another post, Joshua Vides talks about considering several different concepts for the Ferrari design in Las Vegas before settling on the final one. Among all the options, he chose one in particular. The graphic designer compared Formula 1 cars from the ’70s and wanted to pay homage to Ferrari’s glorious past by creating racing suits with the same style: a large white circle in the center with the race number.

Lastly, he added stripes along the sides with names written in cursive, as was common in the single-seaters of those years. Vides took the Ferrari 312 T2 driven by Niki Lauda in 1977 as an example.

However, his idea was not well-received at the factory. “I was met with a thousand noes and some maybes. I focused on the maybes. Can we make all the sponsors white? Maybe. Can we add big white circles with the car numbers? Maybe.”

And in the end, the result was what we see in Ferrari’s design for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Vezi această postare pe Instagram

O postare distribuită de (@joshuavides)

Source: f1ingenerale

The post Ferrari’s special design for 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP is inspired by Niki Lauda appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

Last weekend, an event organized by Red Bull took place at the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, which was also attended by Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel. However, in addition to them, Mathias Lauda, the son of the late three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda and his first wife, Marlene, was also present, and he had the honor of driving his father’s car along the track that nearly cost him his life.

Niki Lauda’s son drives at the Nordschleife

As reported by Autosprint, it happened that this event was taking place just as Ferrari was competing for the Hypercar title against Toyota in Japan at the Fuji Speedway, exactly forty-seven years after the historic Lauda – Hunt duel. On the web, there are many images capturing Mathias Lauda at the wheel of the iconic Ferrari 312 B3 car as he travels through the Bergwerk section, the point where his father had the accident.

Although Sunday’s event was only a demonstration and a celebratory lap of the famous 1976 Ferrari, it cannot be denied that, thanks in part to the coincidence with the Japanese leg of the Endurance championship, these images can’t help but stir the emotions of even those who are not fans of this sport.

The post Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312 B3 returns to Nordschleife circuit with a special driver – PHOTO appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

Farewell Niki
In his memory, a few days later on the streets of the Principality – where Lauda had achieved two victories and three pole positions in his career – the entire Formula 1 world turned red with helmets, caps, and references on the cars to honor him. Today, four years later, the affection for one of the greatest legends in the history of motorsport is still enormous. On this day, the memory of Niki Lauda has been celebrated by the entire F1 community.

The memories of Ferrari and Mercedes
Special attention naturally came from Ferrari and Mercedes, the two teams – along with McLaren – that had the greatest impact on Niki Lauda’s sporting life. With the Prancing Horse, the Viennese champion won his first two world titles and became a true legend, surviving the horrific Nürburgring fire in 1976, which left him disfigured but from which Lauda returned after just six weeks, completing one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of world sport.

Mercedes, on the other hand, became his home in the later part of his life, as a senior executive, contributing to the creation of a winning dynasty that, thanks in part to his efforts, rewrote all the records of Formula 1. Both official social media channels – as well as the Formula 1 channel – posted a tribute to the three-time champion: “Today marks four years since we lost our friend Niki. Even though he is no longer with us, his spirit still lies at the heart of everything we do,” the touching message delivered by Brackley. “Remembering one of the greats, Niki Lauda,” was the more ‘official’ commemoration published by Ferrari.

Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!

The post Four years without Niki Lauda: Ferrari’s social media posts in memory of F1 legend appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

— see video above —

The post Video: Niki Lauda on hurdles he overcame to return to F1 racing after nearly dying appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

In the qualifying session, Mario Andretti (Lotus-Ford took a comfortable pole position with John Watson just beating the second Lotus of Gunnar Nilsson to second, while Niki Lauda started outside the top ten for Scuderia Ferrari. Carlos Reutemann in the other Ferrari car, finished the qualifying session in P7.

The race was wet due to rain earlier in the day, and Watson took the lead at the first corner, but later in the first lap, Andretti ran into the back to him while attempting to retake the lead, resulting in both of them spinning out and Jody Scheckter taking the lead.

Scheckter led the early stages ahead of Nilsson, whereas Carlos Reutemann made an early charge but spun off. The track began to dry and everyone had to pit for tyres, and those who stopped early were the ones who benefited, as now Niki Lauda was leading for Ferrari from Jochen Mass and Scheckter was down to fifth. Mass spun off from second, handing it to Nilsson who then went on to catch and pass Niki Lauda before driving away to his first career victory. Behind second-placed Lauda, Ronnie Peterson completed the podium for Team Tyrrell after Scheckter retired with an engine failure. This remains the only F1 race in which two Swedes shared the podium. Niki Lauda’s Ferrari teammate, Carlos Reutemann, had to retire after an accident on lap 14.

1977 Belgian Grand Prix highlights:

— see video above —

The post Watch: Niki Lauda recovers from P11 to finish on podium | 1977 Belgian GP appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

The 59-lap race was won from pole position by James Hunt, driving a McLaren-Ford.

Niki Lauda finished in fourth place for Scuderia Ferrari and thus took his second title, as the Maranello team took their third consecutive Constructor’s Championship. For Lauda, it was the culmination of a comeback from the life-threatening injuries he had sustained at the Nürburgring in 1976.

The post Watch: Niki Lauda’s 4th place finish secures F1 titles for Ferrari | 1977 United States GP East appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

Carlos Reutemann cheered the home fans by starting second in front of Jody Scheckter. Scheckter took the lead after a brilliant start, and in second place was Clay Regazzoni’s Ensign who got an even better one. Regazzoni however did not have the pace and soon dropped down the order, whereas Mario Andretti was on the move, passing Hunt on the second lap, and Scheckter a few laps later to take the lead. Hunt dropped back with brake troubles as the race progressed, and Scheckter retired when his engine failed, leaving Reutemann and Niki Lauda in second and third.

Lauda was soon past Reutemann, and the latter had to retire when he spun off on oil on the track left by the car of debutant Bruno Giacomelli, handing third to Alan Jones. The race finished in that order; with Andretti taking a dominant victory from Lauda, who closed in on the championship, and Jones who took his second podium in three races.

By finishing 2nd, Ferrari won the Constructor’s Championship with three races left. The track invasion was inevitable as the fans rushed to the podium to cheer the winners.

— see video above —

The post Video: strategic drive by Niki Lauda seals title for Ferrari at Monza | 1977 Italian GP appeared first on Scuderia Fans.

Defending world champion Niki Lauda, who was also the current season’s points leader, was not impressed with safety conditions on the leviathan German circuit, especially since the forecast called for rain. He attempted to arrange a boycott of the race, but the other drivers voted against it by just one vote, and the race went ahead.

Niki Lauda changed his tyres after lap one as the weather changed back to dry and was trying hard to make up for the lost time. Just after the fast left kink before the Bergwerk right hand curve, his Ferrari 312T2 snapped to the right and spun through the fencing into an earth bank. The car bounced back onto the track, enveloped in flames. Guy Edwards managed to avoid the Ferrari, but Harald Ertl and Brett Lunger both hit it. All three drivers stopped and tried to get Lauda out of the flames and they were joined by Merzario, who stopped his Wolf Williams after seeing the wreck. Lauda had suffered serious burns and was rushed by helicopter to the Bundeswehr hospital in Koblenz; from there he was flown to the Trauma Clinic in Ludwigshafen, home to Germany’s most advanced burn ward at the time, where he fought for his life for the next few days.

The post Watch: Niki Lauda’s horrifying accident at Nurburgring | 1976 German GP appeared first on Scuderia Fans.