'LAUDA'

Niki Lauda was a true warrior of motor sport, but his path into Formula 1 was not a smooth one. Practically disowned by his family and struggling to get to grips with single seaters, Lauda had an unremarkable career in the junior Formulae. However, when he turned up uninvited to a BRM test in 1973 and showed promise, the legend of Niki Lauda started to be written.
 
‘LAUDA’ represents the young Austrian’s first year with Ferrari in 1974, and shows the 312B3, emblazoned with his name. After one year at the ailing BRM team, it was Ferrari’s then-Sporting Director, Luca di Montezemolo who convinced Enzo Ferrari to take a chance on Lauda. Before long, both Lauda and Montezemolo would be credited with restoring the fortunes of the Scuderia, which just a few years previously, pulled out of the sport altogether.
 
In 1974, Lauda qualified on pole nine times and won both the Spanish and Dutch Grand Prix in a season blighted by mechanical failures. A year later, Lauda would win Ferrari’s first World Championship for eleven years. Later would follow his horrific crash and subsequent gladiatorial comeback in 1976, followed by championship wins in 1977 and 1984. All of which ensure Niki Lauda’s place as a true motor sport icon.