7 replies to this topic

[eibyyz]

I never knew he hated him!  Dispassionate, I could see; not the best of bros, sure.  But hate?

[kayemod]

I never knew he hated him!  Dispassionate, I could see; not the best of bros, sure.  But hate?

 

He manages pretty well, but with all non-British people, we should remember that English isn't their first language. I suspect that "hate" is a little stronger than he really intended, Maybe in his own language Niki might have said "verabscheuen" which is dislike rather than "hassen" which is more like detest, or possibly "hate" in the proper context, those words probably all list under hate in a German/English dictionary.

[jcbc3]

or, as I said to my son, when he beat me in a half marathon we both ran: "I hate you.......  ". And then we both laughed and knew the baton had been passed.

Edited by jcbc3, 26 May 2014 - 19:19.

[Michael Ferner]

I'd say Rob's on the money - "detest", perhaps, but more likely just "hating" him for being faster, yet again. I recall reading Lauda interviews from the McLaren days, and he was really pissed off by getting regularly beaten in qualifying. He could deal with him in the races, all right, but Prost's all-out pace over a single lap really rattled his cage. A sort of "admiring hate"?

[Nemo1965]

Come on, Niki did not 'hate' Prost. It's like when you play tennis and you hit a very mean dropshot. The other doesn't get it to it, pants and says: 'I hate you.'

 

EDIT: When Lauda beat Prost to the title in that dramatic Portugal-GP in 1984, when he beat Prost by 0,5 point and they were both on the podium. Lauda describes in his second autobiography (I translate it here in English):

 

'Alain Prost is already up there. I can see from his face how his heart smarts, he is fighting against the tears. I say: forget it, forget it as quick as possible. I say to you: this was my year, the next year will be your year. Forget all the other stuff, get excited for the next year.' He listens intently, is thankfull for al these nice words (which I really mean, honestly), and I see how his features are already relaxing.'

 

If that is hate, I don't know what love is.

Edited by Nemo1965, 26 May 2014 - 20:08.

[D-Type]

I think we are missing the point Lauda was trying to make, namely:  ".... but at least I still said 'hello' to him".  I'll go along with the translation problem.

[PCC]

I'm not sure it's a language thing, I think it's just Niki being Niki - which is to say, stating his point in the most vivid, colourful, undecaffeinated and mischievous way possible. I've never heard him say anything that suggested anything but great respect for Prost - at times, you'd swear he actually liked the guy! But he has also been very blunt about the fact that he found Prost dismayingly quick and nearly impossible to beat - and at one level, every racer 'hates' that.

[Emery0323]

I'm not sure it's a language thing, I think it's just Niki being Niki - which is to say, stating his point in the most vivid, colourful, undecaffeinated and mischievous way possible. I've never heard him say anything that suggested anything but great respect for Prost - at times, you'd swear he actually liked the guy! But he has also been very blunt about the fact that he found Prost dismayingly quick and nearly impossible to beat - and at one level, every racer 'hates' that.

I would agree - It''s not a visceral, personal  "hate" Niki's expressing, but the instinctive animus that an accomplished person with a big ego feels when faced with a serious rival.  Niki said upon his retirement that Prost was the toughest team-mate and opponent he'd ever had.