Niki Lauda, one of F1’s all-time greats inspired numerous people over the years. One such occasion was when he dedicated his Laureus award to ‘losers’, and the reason for his choice inspired applause from many people including Toto Wolff, and especially Novak Djokovic, one of the best tennis players of all time.
He said, while accepting the award, “I’d like to dedicate this award to the losers, because I tell you from my own experience, winning is one thing but out of losing I always learned more for the future. So I got stronger in losing.”
Lauda was the recipient of the prestigious Laureus Award for his contribution to F1. He was given the Laureus World Sports Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019. After he accepted the award, he delivered one of the most iconic speeches ever.
Laureus Award is extremely prestigious among the sporting community. Athletes from all over the world earn this award for their incredible achievements. A few other F1 names who received the award are Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen.
Niki Lauda and his impact on the Mercedes F1 team
Niki Lauda was the lucky charm for the Mercedes F1 team. During his time in Brackley, the Silver Arrows enjoyed massive success in both Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships. Since he passed away, however, questions about Toto Wolff’s leadership have arisen.
Wolff misses Lauda’s presence in the team. He once acknowledged as per ESPN, “Niki’s missed all those years because Niki always simplified things to really what mattered. I’m having to think what would he have said, and how would he have positioned [things], and the two of us worked well together in that sense that sometimes oversimplification can lead you straight to the results.”
After Schumacher retired from F1 at the end of the 2012 season, Lauda managed to convince Hamilton to trust Mercedes’ project. Hamilton has often credited Lauda over it as he said if it wasn’t for the Austrian, he might not have been at the Silver Arrows. Apart from being a mentor, Lauda was also a friend to Hamilton with whom the seven-time world champion shared a candid relationship.
