Dearest Gentle Listener,
What scandal, what shock, when young Andreas Nikolaus Lauda—born into Vienna’s silken society—turned his back on boardrooms and banquets in favor of oil-stained engines and roaring circuits. His family, humiliated, cut him off without so much as a farewell toast. But did Niki wither? Oh no, darling. He borrowed against his very future and bought himself a seat at destiny.
Three world championships later, the black sheep of Austria stood crowned the fastest man alive. Yet even speed cannot outrun fate. At the Nürburgring in 1976, fire consumed his Ferrari, his helmet failed, and a priest was summoned to read last rites. Society whispered “we told you so.”
But death, it seems, does not claim men such as Lauda. Six weeks later, still bleeding and bandaged, he returned to the cockpit. A scandal to some, a miracle to all. His bravery forever changed Formula 1, banishing the Nordschleife and forcing safety into fashion.
From disgrace to defiance, from fire to immortality—Niki Lauda lived not as society intended, but as only the boldest dare. And now, dearest listener, his story is yours to hear.
—Lady Formula One