68 replies to this topic

[keeppushingurep1]

what do you think about niki laudas comments, not just about ferrari but the press articles what have been published the last years

[Hairpin]

what do you think about niki laudas comments, not just about ferrari but the press articles what have been published the last years

For me, it is like with most people, sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. I do think I agree with him more often than not and I do consider his opinions even when I do not agree with them.

[keeppushingurep1]

he has made some harsh coments :like prost was a dog, but alonso is worse or has called der Polack” to kubica during his commentary for the RTL network.

The term has derogatory connotations stemming from the 1939 invasion that marked the start of World War II.

he has said the ferrari test drivers are useless.

[keeppushingurep1]

he has made some harsh coments :like prost was a dog, but alonso is worse or has called der Polack” to kubica during his commentary for the RTL network.

The term has derogatory connotations stemming from the 1939 invasion that marked the start of World War II.

he has said the ferrari test drivers are useless.

we all have great respect for his achievements, but this post is more about. his commentator status, his opinions...

[aditya-now]

he has made some harsh coments :like prost was a dog, but alonso is worse or has called der Polack” to kubica during his commentary for the RTL network.

The term has derogatory connotations stemming from the 1939 invasion that marked the start of World War II.

he has said the ferrari test drivers are useless.

The whole edge in his comments is typically Lauda. In Austria we are used to it since the 70s, it´s his type of cynical, dry humor. The point is that in his Austrian way everyone understands how it is meant (it is called "Schmäh" in Viennese), but when translated into English it takes on a harsher meaning.

Nonetheless, things like "der Polacke" about Kubica are nowadays politically not correct anymore, as there is a certain depreciation of the person/the people of the Poles included. The term has been used for centuries in the Habsburg monarchy - long before WWII.
"Prost is a dog" "der Prost war ein Hund" is typical as Prost was hard to overcome for him on his way to his final WDC, it´s basically Viennese janitor's language (of the 16. district), not really worthy of a three times world champion.

The Ferrari test drivers are probably useless, as we have seen last year.

What surprises me is the harsh stance he takes on Ferrari ("getting a pasting"), either he knows something about the world council we don't know yet, or he tries to create a certain climate. It's not totally out of the possible that he does so, as, after having been one of the first to spot Alonso as a huge talent, later Lauda turned sour on the Spaniard (obviously Fernando was not open to Lauda's advances.

Lauda is still very well connected in the F1 world, with Bernie, Ron Dennis and many others, but nowadays he is part of the German (Mercedes) mafia, although he has a certain liking for RBR as they are an Austrian team. However, Lauda is not a Red Bull man like Berger or Dr. Marko.

[keeppushingurep1]

The whole edge in his comments is typically Lauda. In Austria we are used to it since the 70s, it´s his type of cynical, dry humor. The point is that in his Austrian way everyone understands how it is meant (it is called "Schmäh" in Viennese), but when translated into English it takes on a harsher meaning.

Nonetheless, things like "der Polacke" about Kubica are nowadays politically not correct anymore, as there is a certain depreciation of the person/the people of the Poles included. The term has been used for centuries in the Habsburg monarchy - long before WWII.
"Prost is a dog" "der Prost war ein Hund" is typical as Prost was hard to overcome for him on his way to his final WDC, it´s basically Viennese janitor's language (of the 16. district), not really worthy of a three times world champion.

The Ferrari test drivers are probably useless, as we have seen last year.

What surprises me is the harsh stance he takes on Ferrari ("getting a pasting"), either he knows something about the world council we don't know yet, or he tries to create a certain climate. It's not totally out of the possible that he does so, as, after having been one of the first to spot Alonso as a huge talent, later Lauda turned sour on the Spaniard (obviously Fernando was not open to Lauda's advances.

Lauda is still very well connected in the F1 world, with Bernie, Ron Dennis and many others, but nowadays he is part of the German (Mercedes) mafia, although he has a certain liking for RBR as they are an Austrian team. However, Lauda is not a Red Bull man like Berger or Dr. Marko.

to be honest sometimes i think he is out of his mind, he was talking about redbull as an example of how to deal with drivers.

forgetting about the front wiing issue and the not bad for a n 2 driver.

IMO he just talks too much and most his words that are published on the press are nonsense, and when you look back, his predictions are for the most part wrong

[KnucklesAgain]

As an Austrian who lived in Vienna for many years myself, "Prost war ein Hund" is perfectly acceptable to me as Viennese "Schmäh", and I don't have a problem with "janitor's language from the 16th district", as aditya-now put it. There was always overlap and mutual influence of the different sub-languages in Austria, especially between the different classes, and this is part of what can make "Schmäh" so charming. We should not forget that Lauda rejected his well to-do heritage in order to go racing, which was pretty cool in my book. Consequently, his adoption of a sometimes somewhat proletarian tonality probably is partly intentional and partly a result of his chosen surroundings - much is made of him being very down-to-earth and rather spending his time with the regular people in the town he lives in than in, say, Monaco. "Prost was a dog" is a terrible literal translation, which no good human translator would use, just a stupid translation robot like Google which, for all its practicality, has no idea of tonality. "Hund", often used in the form of "Hundling", has a very strong connotation of respect and admiration towards a worthy opponent.

I was a huge fan of Lauda from 75 on or so, when I was still a child. His cynical dry humor, "Schmäh", and no-nonsense approach to racing, success, and life are well-known in Austria and demanded my respect early-on. His personality was a welcome alternative to the whiny tone that was, and still is, too often heard in Austria. His book "Protokoll. Meine Jahre bei Ferrari" (Protocol. My years at Ferrari), co-written with or ghostwritten by the well-respected Austrian motorsport journalist Herbert Völker, is a fantastic read about the inner workings of Ferrari during the later Enzo years, as well as about the inner workings of Lauda himself. His account of the Nürburgring accident and its aftermath until 1977 is hugely interesting, and when I reread it I am still amazed at how hard-nosed Lauda was, and also at the stupidity and cruelty of many of the people involved. (Edit: as far as I remember) It should be added that LDM features in the story too, and comes away as a very decent guy. And I believe that Lauda got and still gets too little credit for racing again a mere 42 days (it's still unbelievable to me as I write this) after the horrifying accident, with wounds bleeding under his helmet. His choice to get out of the car in the torrential rain of Fuji actually made him larger-than-life for me, because far from being a coward, he mustered amazing courage once more, and of a totally different kind. The fact that he won 77 again is too much to comprehend for me. Hats off, indeed.

The way he returned with McLaren, built up his airline after that against all odds, struggled through the fatal crash of one of his planes in the Philippines (through no fault of his own or his company), and the way he conducted himself through all of that (while being viciously attacked by the Austrian tabloids, who always relish a chance to take someone down who is successful, especially if they admired him before) renewed and strengthened my respect over and over again. His role in Jaguar was never clear to me, and I often did not understand his attitude. During this time, it appeared to me as if his cynical traits, which he himself acknowledges and explains as having come from a need to defend against a hostile environment in F1 and the media, had started to take on a life of their own and turned against him.

His commentary on RTL has always been less than great, and it got worse over the years, to a point where now I loath it. Frequently he says things that are contradictory, stupid, plainly wrong (I remember a comment early in 2010 about the effects of weight distribution which was simply mistaken), or seem to be given on the basis of what the German audience probably wants to hear. (Edit) He is also often hostile to the main commentator, in what appears to be an attempt at banter, which may just fail because he has a German partner who cannot deal with Viennese Schmäh, but in any case ends up being just hugely annoying. And remember, I have the benefit of hearing and reading him in his native language that is my own, not some bad translation. Sometimes I have the impression that he starts to get senile, and he reminds me of Bernie. But having known his attitude for so many years, the case may just as well be that he just decided that having an honest conversation with idiots is not worth it (and the main RTL commentators Florian König, Heiko Wasser, and the fat pitlane guy whose name it is not worth to remember ARE idiots), and that he simply does and says what he thinks is best for Lauda Air, which is now a charter line that needs to cater to German tourists. Such an approach would certainly be in character. On the other hand, when he talks to peers like Norbert Haug on TV, his comments are often still so asinine that Haug is visibly lost for words - and so the suspicion of senility still has merit, too.

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 22 August 2010 - 19:13.

[aditya-now]

Very nice piece, knucklesagain, your experience in the 70s has been nearly identical to mine, it was probably the quintessential experience the Austrian consciousness had with the phenomenon that is Niki Lauda.
Now this is from an Austrian who has lived for years in Vienna and now lives in Hamburg, Germany:

His commentary on RTL has always been less than great, and it got worse over the years, to a point where now I loath it. Frequently he says things that are contradictory, stupid, plainly wrong (I remember a comment early in 2010 about the effects of weight distribution which was simply mistaken), or seem to be given on the basis of what the German audience probably wants to hear.

It`s true that he is getting senile, sometimes the way he and Bernie appear are indeed similar.
The fact that on RLT he says exactly what he thinks is appealing to the German public is spot on, if you hear e.g. what he says about the same incidents on ORF (Austrian television) and on RTL you are bound to be amazed. On ORF he always appears well sorted and knowledgable.

He is also often hostile to the main commentator, in what appears to be an attempt at banter, which may just fail because he has a German partner who cannot deal with Viennese Schmäh, but in any case ends up being just hugely annoying.

The fact of the matter is that on ARD (another German television station) there was for years the duo of Günter Netzer and Gerhard Delling, and they were doing exactly the same thing like König and Lauda, exchanging verbal punches.
Even though the Germans are seen as generally humourless by the Austrians, this is a typical example of Germans (and German directors of the RTL F1 show) trying to be funny. There is no doubt in my mind that Lauda has the task to be controversial with König, as Netzer was with Delling.
Of course it appears funny because sometimes the Austrian Schmäh just does not register with König.

.....and that he simply does and says what he thinks is best for Lauda Air, which is now a charter line that needs to cater to German tourists.

Lauda Air has become one of the marquee´s of Austrian Airlines, the national carrier now bought by Lufthansa, while Niki started yet another airline, Fly Niki, which cooperates with Air Berlin. Indeed he always has an eye on German tourists, so he is never as critical of Schumacher as he should (compared to the tough comments he sometimes issues to other parties) and also generally very mild towards the other German drivers.

In Austrian we say "who pays the bill calls the tune..." (ohne Geld ka Musi), in this case RLT is paying the bills and Niki operates accordingly, while always keeping his own interests alive as well.


The general harsh comments he starts to give are in my opinion also an attempt to stay in the limelight, after all, all publicity is good publicity, especially if it is bad publicity.

[alfista]

As an Austrian who lived in Vienna for many years myself, "Prost war ein Hund" is perfectly acceptable to me as Viennese "Schmäh", and I don't have a problem with "janitor's language from the 16th district", as aditya-now put it. ...

I agree 100% with your comments about Lauda's outstanding or heroic, to be precise, achievements as a driver. But what I really liked were your comments about his linguistic background. Although I watch F1 races on RTL and basically understand the comments, mein Deutsch ist sehr schlecht and I know nothing about Viennese "Schmäh" nor can catch the point of his humour. So big thankyou!

[taran]

In general, Lauda isn't afraid to make sharp comments. And because most F1 journo's and commentators are gutless wonders too afraid to rock the boat because that will anger Bernie or a team and might get them banned and off the gravy train, Lauda's comments seem unduly harsh and provocative. What many people forget is that Lauda was always more than willing to speak his mind in a candid fashion, as did many drivers of his era. Hell, even Enzo was known for his caustic comments....

And "der Prost war een hund" does not so much mean that Prost was a dog but rather that Prost was a dirty dog, e.g. used (underhanded) tricks etc.

[jeze]

It's surprising that a man once so close to Luca is the World's biggest Ferrari-basher as per today. Is he bitter? Maybe he wanted to become what Luca is today, and when he failed at Jaguar, jealousy took the upper hand.

Other than that, he acts as Chief Commander for Lewis Hamilton's fanboy club, which is also astonishing...

[KnucklesAgain]

Very nice piece, knucklesagain, your experience in the 70s has been nearly identical to mine, it was probably the quintessential experience the Austrian consciousness had with the phenomenon that is Niki Lauda.

Thanks for the nice words, and I think you are right about this being the quintessential experience.

It`s true that he is getting senile, sometimes the way he and Bernie appear are indeed similar.
The fact that on RLT he says exactly what he thinks is appealing to the German public is spot on, if you hear e.g. what he says about the same incidents on ORF (Austrian television) and on RTL you are bound to be amazed. On ORF he always appears well sorted and knowledgable.

I'm living in Berlin now and don't get to see much ORF, but I totally agree. Whenever I'm in Austria and a race is on, his comments there are much, much better. Curious. Though the downside is that I have to suffer Heinz Prüller (is he still around?)

The fact of the matter is that on ARD (another German television station) there was for years the duo of Günter Netzer and Gerhard Delling, and they were doing exactly the same thing like König and Lauda, exchanging verbal punches.
Even though the Germans are seen as generally humourless by the Austrians, this is a typical example of Germans (and German directors of the RTL F1 show) trying to be funny. There is no doubt in my mind that Lauda has the task to be controversial with König, as Netzer was with Delling.
Of course it appears funny because sometimes the Austrian Schmäh just does not register with König.

Spot on. I intended to comment on this but left it out because I couldn't find a good way to work it into my post. It really appears to be a poor attempt by the incompetent director to mimick Netzer/Delling. But N/D works because behind the banter they respect each other and are indeed friends, while I'm pretty sure Lauda has no such feelings for König. And N/D simply were good at it, probably because they came up with it themselves and it's a natural extension of their off-screen relationship. While in the Lauda/König case it always seems forced, Niki loses all his charm when he tries it and König more often than not fails to play along and sometimes seems genuinely offended. It is painful to watch.

Germans generally are seen as humorless by many Austrians, but the prototypical Austrian attitude towards Germans (as fuelled by ORF - please, I never want to hear the word "Cordoba" again, it is embarrassing) is informed by inferiority complexes and of course the "humorless" impression is generally bullshit. (Though large hordes of prototypical "Piefke" tourists can indeed be aggravating, but the same is true for Brits and, indeed, Austrians). On the other hand, König does a great job strengthening this prejudice

Lauda Air has become one of the marquee´s of Austrian Airlines, the national carrier now bought by Lufthansa, while Niki started yet another airline, Fly Niki, which cooperates with Air Berlin. Indeed he always has an eye on German tourists, so he is never as critical of Schumacher as he should (compared to the tough comments he sometimes issues to other parties) and also generally very mild towards the other German drivers.
In Austrian we say "who pays the bill calls the tune..." (ohne Geld ka Musi), in this case RLT is paying the bills and Niki operates accordingly, while always keeping his own interests alive as well.
The general harsh comments he starts to give are in my opinion also an attempt to stay in the limelight, after all, all publicity is good publicity, especially if it is bad publicity.

Right, forgot about Lauda Air. Still, the general point remains, as you said.

[aditya-now]

What many people forget is that Lauda was always more than willing to speak his mind in a candid fashion, as did many drivers of his era. Hell, even Enzo was known for his caustic comments....

And "der Prost war een hund" does not so much mean that Prost was a dog but rather that Prost was a dirty dog, e.g. used (underhanded) tricks etc.

Hell, Niki Lauda was known to even pull Enzo Ferrari out of his comfort zones. Enzo was then shouting after him "he is like Judas who sold himself for 8 salami sausages to the competition!!!" (Alfa-Romeo).

"Der Prost war ein Hund" means "I had great trouble with defeating Prost because he was that bloody good."

A non-educated non-English speaker would also have a hard time guessing what "bloody" has to do with being good....

[scheivlak]

Other than that, he acts as Chief Commander for Lewis Hamilton's fanboy club, which is also astonishing...

Chief Commander for Lewis' fanboy club?

Naaah.......

http://www.crash.net...girlfriend.html




I think Lauda is -at most- his own fanboy.

[KnucklesAgain]

And "der Prost war een hund" does not so much mean that Prost was a dog but rather that Prost was a dirty dog, e.g. used (underhanded) tricks etc.

As is the case so often in the Austrian way of speaking German, context and tone is everything. As I had to find out in Berlin, this actually can make conversation with Germans difficult at first, especially the ladies ;) I learned that it is required to spell everything out much more than in Austria, where you seem to be able to rely on tone much more. The same thing, I think, tends to make German speech appear unnecessarily tedious and over-precise for Austrians, who often interpret it as "stiff" or uppish. This goes beyond the fact that Austrian German has different words for some things that are not known in Germany, or which are used differently.

You are correct that "Hund" can be used for someone who plays dirty and uses underhanded tricks, but as I wrote it also can connote respect for an opponent that is worthy or even for an opponent who is simply better. He may have meant to express both, but personally I distinctly heard respect as well in the way he said it. (Edit: just as aditya-now said it above!)

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 22 August 2010 - 20:54.

[aditya-now]

I'm living in Berlin now and don't get to see much ORF, but I totally agree. Whenever I'm in Austria and a race is on, his comments there are much, much better. Curious. Though the downside is that I have to suffer Heinz Prüller (is he still around?)

Ah, so greetings from Hamburg to Berlin then.

The demise of Heinz Prüller was a national tragedy. He was sent into retirement by national broadcaster ORF, having been an Austrian institution like Murray Walker, Heinz Prüller commented from the first Austrian GP in 1964 onwards and was the man on a "per du" basis presenting Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger to the nation.

There were many petitions to force ORF to continue giving Heinz the job (there are by the way whole websites dedicated to his "Prüllereien", similar to the "Murrayisms"), but the ORF remained strict and Heinz is now commentating for Sky.

http://www.ipetition...ition/prueller/

Ernst Hausleitner took over at the ORF, and he is co-commentating with Alex Wurz.

http://derstandard.a...der-Hausleitner

While this duo gives some excellent background infos to the races and unexited, yet exiting commenting, it would have been impossible to partner Heinz Prüller with Alex Wurz. For whatever reason, possibly, because Wurz did not respond well to the advances of Heinz Prüller, Alex was totally out of favour with Heinz. Prüller waged a factual war behind the scenes against Alex Wurz, something unheard of for an institution like Prüller (imagine Murray waging war against a young Johnny Herbert).

So when they had Wurz it was clear that Prüller had to go, and, as he was 67, they did not renew the contract with Heinz.

[JackTorrance]

In general, Lauda isn't afraid to make sharp comments. And because most F1 journo's and commentators are gutless wonders too afraid to rock the boat because that will anger Bernie or a team and might get them banned and off the gravy train, Lauda's comments seem unduly harsh and provocative. What many people forget is that Lauda was always more than willing to speak his mind in a candid fashion, as did many drivers of his era. Hell, even Enzo was known for his caustic comments....

And "der Prost war een hund" does not so much mean that Prost was a dog but rather that Prost was a dirty dog, e.g. used (underhanded) tricks etc.

Underhand tricks lol. Lauda used to steal the qualifying tyres of his teammates and used them up himself.

And sharp comment is nice, but sharp and stupid comment is just annoying. I stopped watching BBC because of that idiot EJ ('my little paddock spies tell me Massa is okay and will race tomorrow'). He and Lauda are just saying that stuff to keep getting a big fat paycheck, in EJs case on the expense of the license fee payers.

[Bmwsduc]

He has been speaking out, but a lot of ex-drivers do so it is nothing new. I think it is annoying, the Formula One way back when is totally different than now.

[zeph]

Heinz Pruller! Now there's a name I have not heard in a very long time. I used to love his F1 year books, they were easy to read and really made you feel like you were there. I started getting interested in F1 much later, but thanks to Pruller's books I feel like I experienced all seasons from '78 and on. I need to get me some of those books now....

[KnucklesAgain]

A little story about Lauda, Austrians, Germans, RTL, and humor. It was related in Auto Revue, the fantastic Austrian car and racing magazine which has decades-old ties into the Austrian racing scene and, e.g., has documented Jochen Rindt's and Niki Lauda's careers from early on. (Want to read a story about being called by Lauda and invited to fly with him from Salzburg to Bologna, pick up his new Ferrari in Maranello, and then sit on the passenger seat while Niki tries to beat the plane's travel time on the road back to Salzburg? Read Auto Revue! It is, by the way, another place where one can regularly read a version of Lauda's opinions which differs fundamentally from his RTL comments, just like aditya-now said about his ORF comments.)

So, on to the story:
In 2006, on the occasion of the 30 year anniversary of Lauda's Nürburgring crash, RTL asked Lauda to visit the crash site again, and do a piece that was to be shown on RTL's pre-race show. Lauda didn't like the idea much, but as aditya-now wrote, he who pays the bills calls the tune, and so he agreed. Though he took a number of his friends with him, among them Bertl Wimmer (note: two links), who is known to Lauda experts as one of his long-standing friends from St. Koloman in the Salzburg region, where Lauda lives, and who features in many stories in the Protocol book.

One of these friends, it may have been Wimmer himself (I forgot), brought a pig's ear along with him, which he had procured from a mutual friend, a butcher in St. Koloman (I forgot the butcher's name too, and he may even have been present at the anniversary occasion. In any case it was the same one who also featured in Protocol; I seem to remember that it was he who received all of Lauda's trophies as presents, except for one that Lauda kept because its appendages could be used to hang scissors and other household tools).
The gang arrived a day early at the Nürburgring. On the next day, filming was planned to start at 2 pm, as RTL wanted to capture the exact time of the accident. However, Wimmer (or whoever it was) sneaked out of the hotel early in the morning and drove to the crash site, hiding the pig's ear in the bushes.

When 2 pm approached, everyone gathered at the crash site and RTL started filming, doing the interviews, etc. While Lauda was being interviewed, a shout was heard from the bushes in the background and Wimmer emerged, waggling the pig's ear and loudly proclaiming, "Niki, schau, I hob dei Ohr g'fundn!" ("Look Niki, I found your ear!").

Apparently Lauda refused to repeat the interview, as his contract didn't mention that he was required to do it. RTL abadoned the filming and the piece was never broadcast as intended. However, a while later (may have been a few months later I forgot), RTL did use a piece of the footage in a short part they did about Lauda during one of the pre-race shows, albeit without sound. Anyone who had read the Auto Revue story, however, could clearly see what was going on in the background.

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 22 August 2010 - 21:50.

[aditya-now]

Excellent, the story with the pig's ear. Typical for Lauda and his gang. Lauda's humour, wit and sarcasm does not only go out to others, he can dish it out (or rather, "dish it in") to himself as well.

[KnucklesAgain]

Ah, so greetings from Hamburg to Berlin then.

The demise of Heinz Prüller was a national tragedy. He was sent into retirement by national broadcaster ORF, having been an Austrian institution like Murray Walker, Heinz Prüller commented from the first Austrian GP in 1964 onwards and was the man on a "per du" basis presenting Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger to the nation.

There were many petitions to force ORF to continue giving Heinz the job (there are by the way whole websites dedicated to his "Prüllereien", similar to the "Murrayisms"), but the ORF remained strict and Heinz is now commentating for Sky.

Right, I remember now. Though I must say, I didn't get the Austrian obsession with Prüller at all, at least in the later years. Just as I don't get the British one with Walker. I found both to be largely annoying, and while I can see some charm even in the totally confused later Walker, Prüller just killed me. The older he got the more confused he became, and the worse his logorrhea. I think I heard each of his standard stories at least 40 times (you know them, "Nelson Piquet once told me that driving an F1 car in Monaco is like flying a helicopter in your living room", etc.), and no, I am not interested in the university studies of Ricardo Rosset's cousin (while the leader crashes out, which Prüller comments 3 laps later with a loud, gasping "where has Häkkinen gone!?!?!?"). My fondest F1 TV memories are from the ca. 92-95 seasons, when Eurosport in Vienna was broadcasted in English via cable, and one could escape Prüller and listen to Ben Edwards (the guy who later replaced him was also ok) and John Watson.

However, I have a little treasure in my video collection, which I have meant to upload to Youtube forever. One of these days I really need to do it. As you may remember, when F1 returned to the A1 ring, ORF went totally berserk and showed 27 hours or so of broadcast, starting on Wednesday, I think. Among that was a ca. 1 hour long documentary by Prüller on the history of F1 on the old Österreichring, which was utterly breathtaking. Not only was it well done, with amazing footage, one could also see the Prüller of old, before he contracted the apparent disease that made him so unbearable in his later years. Unfortunately, I had to rely on my mother to tape the 27 hours of footage, because I was at the A1 ring of course, and Murphy's law required that she botched the taping right in the middle of the documentary, so that I only have 20 minutes or so - while the often boring other 26:40 are fine (if anyone has the complete one, please PM me!!!). Anyway, two favorite scenes were these: One, a soaking wet race (I don't recall the year right now), which was dangerous beyond belief - and an equally soaking wet young LDM running around in the pit lane, wearing a 70ies nylon rain jacket with a too-small hood over his head, completely desperate and yelling at the top of his lungs at Bernie and everyone else that they had to immediately abort the race, and that they all were murderers if they didn't. Two, Prüller walking up to a wooden hut next to the track, which Gerhard Berger (who had his first F1 home race) had chosen as an accommodation (remember, the Österreichring is located in a beautiful rural area), early in the morning, and practically waking him up by knocking at the wooden window shutters. When Berger poked his head out, obviously fresh out of bed with tousled hair and a naked upper body (possibly completely naked, but one could only see the chest), Prüller stuck a microphone into his face and asked about how it is to have a home race. The young Berger answered with the boyish smile of his early years that it's a bit stressful with all the attention, but that for him it's not so bad yet, because he's not yet famous, "which is different than it is for Niki, who is a star everywhere and is even bothered by the negroes in Kyalami". (Speaking with his Tyrolean accent, he said of course "von die Neger").

Greetings back to Hamburg!

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 22 August 2010 - 22:45.

[KnucklesAgain]

And could we write "Niki" correctly in the thread title please? The man's a triple and in my book actually 4-times WDC, show some respect

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 22 August 2010 - 22:59.

[Slyder]

My favorite comment is when he called the 1999 Benneton "a bullshit car."

That had me laughing for a while.

[JackTorrance]

Another ridiculous comment was his critics on Ferrari and their orders at Hockenheim. When was boss at Jaguar he made Irvine get EVERYTHING and ordered number two driver burti and others to be out of the way of his beloved number one almost any race.

Hypocrite.

[scheivlak]

Another ridiculous comment was his critics on Ferrari and their orders at Hockenheim. When was boss at Jaguar he made Irvine get EVERYTHING and ordered number two driver burti and others to be out of the way of his beloved number one almost any race.

Do you have an example?

[aditya-now]

Right, I remember now. Though I must say, I didn't get the Austrian obsession with Prüller at all, at least in the later years. Just as I don't get the British one with Walker. I found both to be largely annoying, and while I can see some charm even in the totally confused later Walker, Prüller just killed me. The older he got the more confused he became, and the worse his logorrhea. I think I heard each of his standard stories at least 40 times (you know them, "Nelson Piquet once told me that driving an F1 car in Monaco is like flying a helicopter in your living room", etc.), and no, I am not interested in the university studies of Ricardo Rosset's cousin (while the leader crashes out, which Prüller comments 3 laps later with a loud, gasping "where has Häkkinen gone!?!?!?"). My fondest F1 TV memories are from the ca. 92-95 seasons, when Eurosport in Vienna was broadcasted in English via cable, and one could escape Prüller and listen to Ben Edwards (the guy who later replaced him was also ok) and John Watson.

Brilliant memories, thanks for sharing them. No, I lived already outside of Austria so I also didn´t get the extra coverage on the occasion of the opening of the A1-Ring - my mother had the same duty (to VHS all the F1 races) but at one point after years she outrightly refused...

The "helicopter in the bathroom" story has been told indeed at every Monaco GP ever since, every qualifying, it has become a fixture in Heinz´ repertoire. Also the obvious missing of an on-track event only to find out a lap or three later....

Yes, particularly John Watson was a blessing.

So here we are, in the 2010s, and Niki is still rambling on, no matter what. He will go Prüller´s way, but he will stay enormously precious, having uniquely experienced in one life what others don´t experience in ten lifetimes.

So no complaints here, although age is showing on Niki (who has no more kidney of his own but one of his brother and one of this former girlfriend (now wife?)). What his body had to go through, starting with inhaling the poisonous gases at the Nürburgring accident, in terms of becoming poisoned can alone justify that he is becoming a little senile at a relatively early age.

[aditya-now]

the "horse whisperer" has struck again: http://www.ferrari.c..._Whisperer.aspx

and it´s interesting that Niki really stirred something up. There seems to be a whole campaign going on against Ferrari:


http://www.motorspor...en-2335119.html

Max Mosley: "Ferrari shall lose all points from Hockenheim".

[JackTorrance]

Do you have an example?

" Even the team truck hasn't avoided Lauda's eagle-eyed attention. The transporter bears the names of the drivers on the side in alphabetical order - with Brazilian Luciano Burti's name above Irvine's.

"Get it changed," Lauda barked. "That's a load of bull. Irvine is the number one driver. His name goes at the top."

http://findarticles....1/ai_n14525146/

[KnucklesAgain]

So here we are, in the 2010s, and Niki is still rambling on, no matter what. He will go Prüller´s way, but he will stay enormously precious, having uniquely experienced in one life what others don´t experience in ten lifetimes.

Indeed!

So no complaints here, although age is showing on Niki (who has no more kidney of his own but one of his brother and one of this former girlfriend (now wife?)). What his body had to go through, starting with inhaling the poisonous gases at the Nürburgring accident, in terms of becoming poisoned can alone justify that he is becoming a little senile at a relatively early age.

According to Wikipedia he actually has four, his own two still working, but at much reduced capacity.

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 23 August 2010 - 05:05.

[Hairpin]

the "horse whisperer" has struck again: http://www.ferrari.c..._Whisperer.aspx

and it´s interesting that Niki really stirred something up. There seems to be a whole campaign going on against Ferrari:


http://www.motorspor...en-2335119.html

Max Mosley: "Ferrari shall lose all points from Hockenheim".

Ferrari is a strange team. Can anyone remember any other team that has gone after an individual that has criticized them? This is not even the first time for Ferrari.

[Chezrome]

Some excellent remarks about Lauda, especially about the 'Schmah' which enlightens many.

However, a point. It always strikes me peculiar that some posters have the next way to react to opinions of drivers.

1. Driver says something critical about his previous team. It's sour grapes.
2. Drivers says something positive about his previous team. He is scared to annoy his buddies there.

You see where I am getting at? It doesn't matter what the opinion is, some posters can always find a reason to discard the opinion.

[Rob]

Ferrari is a strange team. Can anyone remember any other team that has gone after an individual that has criticized them? This is not even the first time for Ferrari.

It's a childish PR stunt on the level of Stefan GP, not an established marque like Ferrari.

[JackTorrance]

Some excellent remarks about Lauda, especially about the 'Schmah' which enlightens many.

However, a point. It always strikes me peculiar that some posters have the next way to react to opinions of drivers.

1. Driver says something critical about his previous team. It's sour grapes.
2. Drivers says something positive about his previous team. He is scared to annoy his buddies there.

You see where I am getting at? It doesn't matter what the opinion is, some posters can always find a reason to discard the opinion.

I disagree. The comments themselves are always open for scrutiny and wether they have a point or not. Secondly, the drivers/team owners reputation also has an effect.

Everybody likes Berger, or stirling moss, or mika hakinnen. When they criticise or say something positive, it rarely if ever gets attacked. Guys like Lauda have a lot less credit because they love to use some stronger language, schmah or no schmah, and as such arent taken as serious as the former, hence the posters reactions.

[Rinehart]

He has an opinion just like the rest of us and the people criticising him are the ones who don't agree with him.

As far as I am concerned, agree or disagree he's earned the right to stand on his soapbox just like Jackie Stewart. I don't agree with everything they say and sometimes they can appear somewhat hypocritical or controversial, but the guys are to be respected imo.

[aditya-now]

Everybody likes Berger, or stirling moss, or mika hakinnen. When they criticise or say something positive, it rarely if ever gets attacked. Guys like Lauda have a lot less credit because they love to use some stronger language, schmah or no schmah, and as such arent taken as serious as the former, hence the posters reactions.

What you say about Berger, Moss, Hakkinen is correct.

However, Schmäh or no Schmäh is a big difference. In Lauda's case an Austrian listener always knows that his remarks have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Not so clear to the world audience though, as Schmäh is obviously not possible to be translated.

In Austria, as sympathetic as Berger is to all, Lauda is surely the institution that people listen to.

Yet you are right - as Lauda addresses a world audience he has to take the flak that comes with his hefty remarks. And again, I am sure he likes to take the flak, indeed, the whole thing is calculated for PR reasons. Which other non-active driver from the 70s and 80s has a thread up and rolling in RC?
The only other on is Jackie Stewart, if and when I post something in "Stewart must channel his frustration".

Thanks to the moderators for changing the name to "Niki" in the title!

[JackTorrance]

What you say about Berger, Moss, Hakkinen is correct.



Yet you are right - as Lauda addresses a world audience he has to take the flak that comes with his hefty remarks. And again, I am sure he likes to take the flak, indeed, the whole thing is calculated for PR reasons. Which other non-active driver from the 70s and 80s has a thread up and rolling in RC?
The only other on is Jackie Stewart, if and when I post something in "Stewart must channel his frustration".

Thanks to the moderators for changing the name to "Niki" in the title!

I agree with you up to a point, and indeed adressing the world community is different than only the Austrian. Still, my personal main objection is not the schmas; he can call Prost a dog all day long. What bothers me is he changes opinion like people change underwear; its simply rent-a-quoting. One week its this, the other its that. The thread title is apropriate enough for me: I respected Lauda a lot and his comments usually where right on the money. But recently, say the last 4 or 5 years, his comments started to make less and less sense to me.

[Hairpin]

I actually think he is pretty consistent. Human consistent. He is o RTL to have opinions, the other guys should not have any and of course that rather peculiar situation creates kind of a spotlight effect to Lauda. When nobody is arguing with you, you can easily drift a bit further than you originally intended. This thread would not be had it not been that he was so vocal against Ferrari's team orders, but let's face it - most of us got angry. Maybe not about the actual action because it was not coming as a complete surprise, but the combination of the action and the stupid and clumsy way it was performed. We have all been asking us that question: "Does Massa have equal status?" and most of us have answered ourselves "no", but we wanted proof. Then came the proof. It might very well be that it is silly to get upset when something happens that comfirms what you already know, but when the confirmation is about something you hope is not true, then you get upset.

Niki got upset, but I am sure he spoke for many of the viewers as well.

[KnucklesAgain]

What bothers me is he changes opinion like people change underwear; its simply rent-a-quoting. One week its this, the other its that.

As aditya-now and myself discussed, he only has his own interest in mind. In that way he has been consistent since when he started racing. In some of his books and the occasional interview in a medium and with a journalist he respects (again, Auto Revue, for example) he is remarkably candid too, but in a much more likeable way. From these pieces I conclude that he probably considers the RTL guys complete losers, and has nothing but contempt for us who watch races on TV and discuss them on internet forums. See it that way, and he will make much more sense to you

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 23 August 2010 - 20:22.

[scheivlak]

" Even the team truck hasn't avoided Lauda's eagle-eyed attention. The transporter bears the names of the drivers on the side in alphabetical order - with Brazilian Luciano Burti's name above Irvine's.

"Get it changed," Lauda barked. "That's a load of bull. Irvine is the number one driver. His name goes at the top."

http://findarticles....1/ai_n14525146/

That's not really an example of "ordered number two driver Burti and others to be out of the way of his beloved number one almost any race"......

And Burti was still grateful for his time at Jaguar, even after leaving: "I am and will always be grateful to Jaguar Racing as they gave me a chance to show my skills in F1 in Austria and this year. But as Niki Lauda recently said, the team has already two drivers for 2002 and, even that Jaguar had assured me I would race this entire season, I’d prefer to go to a team that I can develop in long terms."
http://www.newsonf1....s/apr/apr14.htm

[Pato]

He's a tosser imo, talks some real **** sometimes but other times I do agree with him.

[JackTorrance]

That's not really an example of "ordered number two driver Burti and others to be out of the way of his beloved number one almost any race"......

And Burti was still grateful for his time at Jaguar, even after leaving: "I am and will always be grateful to Jaguar Racing as they gave me a chance to show my skills in F1 in Austria and this year. But as Niki Lauda recently said, the team has already two drivers for 2002 and, even that Jaguar had assured me I would race this entire season, I’d prefer to go to a team that I can develop in long terms."
http://www.newsonf1....s/apr/apr14.htm

Well you are right. I got a little carried away allthough im sure you understand my point: Lauda painted Irvine as being number one, the guy who first got the lightweight chassis, all the new engine upgrades, front wings, etc. I believe it even went so far Burtis car simply wasnt updated at all for money reasons later on in the season. Lauda also defended Ferraris stance of having a firm number one and number two status with Rubens at that time. And this is on top of the examples given by the horse whisperer, or the many examples given by Nigel Roebuck when he was still writing his 5th column (Lauda stole his teammates qualifying tyres and admitted he banged wheels with rivals on parts of the circuit he knew there where no tv cameras).

If you compare that to his current outrageous comments on the bad Ferrari teamorders and that its not fair and blablablabah you cannot do anything else but agree this man has double standards cultivated to a form of art. Its laughable and not to be taken seriously. Pot calling kettle black and all that.

I mean that in a good way btw. Lauda isnt a bad person.

Edited by JackTorrance, 23 August 2010 - 21:27.

[keeppushingurep1]

Why is he saying now he didnt madre tose comments about pasting Ferrari¿

[eff1fan]

Why is he saying now he didnt madre tose comments about pasting Ferrari¿

Because he is a hypocrite.

[aditya-now]

Why is he saying now he didnt madre tose comments about pasting Ferrari¿

Source?

[Craven Morehead]

Source?

front page of Autosport

[aditya-now]

Ah, here:

"I've never said that stuff," Lauda was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera. "On television I only said that team orders are not good for F1 and for the spectacle, and that a team like Red Bull, by leaving Webber and Vettel free to fight, is doing the right thing. Please write that I didn't do any interview.

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/86292

"Ferrari welcomed Lauda's comments with its official website, through the 'Horse Whisperer' columnist, stating: "I am very pleased Niki has denied making these statements: it shows that fresh air is really good for you!"

http://www.ferrari.c...a_s_denial.aspx


Interesting indeed.....

What was going on there? Lauda did not succeed putting pressure on Ferrari via the FIA? Lauda was misquoted? Lauda got a reprimand from Jean Todt or Bernie Ecclestone? Luca Montezemolo showed his muscles?

My take: the FIA would like to handle the affair with the least amount of publicity, like they are basically fading out the question about the 13th team/Villeneuve Racing by simply making no statement at all. After September 8th (is this the date?) there will be only a side-note on what they have decided.

[Hairpin]

Certainly sounds like pressure. "Please write that I didn't do any interview". He called and wanted them to print they did not talk to them? Tat he did not ask them to say he never said those things?

I guess we will see a very Niki that is very pro Ferrari from now on.

[aditya-now]

Certainly sounds like pressure. "Please write that I didn't do any interview". He called and wanted them to print they did not talk to them? Tat he did not ask them to say he never said those things?

I guess we will see a very Niki that is very pro Ferrari from now on.

Indeed Niki has been shown his boundaries...

It is amazing that he did not know that he should not cross certain limits.

[KnucklesAgain]

Or Formula1.com did indeed make it up, and NL just wanted to have it corrected. Sure, that would be weird too, and one wonders why the website would do such a thing, but then it would not be the first time that a news outlet (or a journalist selling an article to a news outlet) lied, either.

Edited by KnucklesAgain, 01 September 2010 - 05:28.