Austrian drivers Jochen Rindt and Niki Lauda won a total of four Formula 1 World Championships between them. Rindt became the only posthumous F1 champion in 1970, while Lauda became a triple title winner with Ferrari and McLaren.
Posthumous F1 Champion Jochen Rindt
Jochen Rindt made his mark in the super competitive world of 1960s Formula 2 racing, where his reputation as an aggressive but fair driver gained momentum. His early Formula 1 career was something of a disappointment, struggling with unwieldy and unreliable Coopers.
A move to Brabham improved matters, but it wasn’t until Rindt joined Lotus for the 1969 season that he emerged as a genuine title contender. Jackie Stewart claimed the honours in a Matra that year but in 1970 Rindt had a radical new car at his disposal, the revolutionary Lotus 72.
Despite its potential Rindt did not take to the 72 and stuck with the older type 49 for the early part of the season. A run of victories in the summer made him a clear title favourite, but Rindt’s life was cruelly cut short during practise at Monza when a brake failure sent his 72 into the barriers. Rindt was well aware of the dangers of motor racing. At that year’s Dutch Grand Prix his close friend Piers Courage had perished in a fiery accident.
Mathematically Jacky Ickx could still equal Rindt's points total but could not better his total number of race wins. The Belgian Ferrari driver was no doubt relieved. Therefore Jochen Rindt became Formula 1’s first – and so far only – posthumous world champion.
Austrian Formula 1 Champion Niki Lauda
Three years after Rindt’s death Niki Lauda made his Formula 1 debut for BRM, a once great team in decline. Nevertheless, his drive in the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari and Lauda was signed for the following season to partner Clay Regazzoni.
Lauda and Regazzoni revelled in the performance of the Ferrari 312T during the 1974 F1 season, but the title eventually went to Emerson Fittipaldi of McLaren. In 1975 there was no stopping Lauda as he won his maiden Formula 1 World Championship. He looked likely to repeat the feat in 1976, until disaster struck during the German Grand Prix at the daunting Nurburgring Nordschliefe. Lauda’s Ferrari left the track and struck a rock face, rebounding onto the circuit where it was engulfed in flames and struck by following cars. Fellow drivers dragged Lauda from the fire, but his burns were so severe that he was administered the last rites in hospital.
In one of sport’s most remarkable comebacks ever Lauda was back behind the wheel of his Ferrari Formula 1 car six weeks later, his head swathed in bandages. He kept his championship hopes alive until the final race in Japan. Due to heavy rain visibility was almost zero, and Lauda concluded that his life was more important than the title. He retired from the race and the championship went to McLaren’s James Hunt.
Lauda did win the title in 1977, but left Ferrari before the end of the season after a bitter fall out. He moved to Brabham, where he scored the only victory for the team’s infamous fan car before retiring from Formula 1.
Lauda didn’t stay away long, returning to Formula 1 in 1982 with McLaren. Two years later he won his third and final F1 title, beating team-mate Alain Prost by just half a point (half points were awarded in the rain shortened Portuguese Grand Prix). At the end of the 1984 season Lauda did retire for good to concentrate on his growing airline Lauda Air.
Kevin Guthrie - Kevin is based in Fife, Scotland, where he works as a music teacher, professional drummer and freelance writer. At an early age he ...
