News about Niki Lauda

POLE POSITION - JONATHAN MCEVOY: Niki Lauda once told me that for Ferrari to function at their best the team required some English blood in its veins. 'Italians are all about romance and spaghetti, and on their own that's not enough,' he rasped in his typically forthright manner that would have the woke commissars reaching for smelling salts. Which brings us to the subject of Lewis Hamilton and Formula One's all-time supreme designer. We know that Hamilton is joining the Scuderia next year, and we suspect Newey is at the very least contemplating doing the same, his departure from Red Bull now having been confirmed. He is being released early from his contract and has the freedom to guide a new team's development in light of the incoming 2026 regulation revamp, the details of which will be out later this year.

Ferrari will ditch their traditional red livery for 'fresh and unexpected colours' at the Miami Grand Prix next month. The design change will be a one-off to mark the 70th anniversary of the famous team's presence in North America. Ferrari last ditched its traditional red back in 1964, when it was replaced by a white and blue livery for the final two rounds of the championship - the US GP at Watkins Glen and the Mexican GP in Mexico City.

It may not be in his nature to run in a single race, but I can imagine how tempted he would be. And there is a precedent for such a move. It goes back to 1979 and the grueling season that Niki Lauda lived at Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham. Lauda saw 11 retirements from 13 series, but that was sufficient at the Canadian Grand Prix. The great Austrian's mood matched Montreal's miserable weather. He told Ecclestone after practice that he was 'tired of driving around in circles' and was retiring on the spot, not from championships, but from grand prix racing (later to return, 1982). Ecclestone accepted this, but with some reservations as the championship's two rounds were left.

Bianca Bustamante is hoping to debut her name on a list of female drivers to start a Formula One race, but she must first make her name known in the F1 Academy this season. In fairness to the 19-year-old, this is what she has done since her father Raymund bought for her when she was only three years old. In the inaugural season of the sport's growth series last term, the Filipino pilot scored two new victories. In addition,, she earned a podium finish in the first race of the season and was clearly emotional on the rostrum during Monza's second victory.

JONATHAN McEVOY - POLE POSITION: Following stifling weather at last weekend's Qatar Grand Prix, it seemed to me that several observers were surprised to learn that grand prix racing is a difficult endeavor. And Brutal. An investigation of the human body. It's an old trick, but let's see 'Papa' Hemingway' at this point. The bearded sage declared, before blowing his brains out, that there are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; the rest are simply games.' 'They'll deny it forever,' they say, but the reason people come here to watch is to see if one of us dies,' says James Hunt.'

Bernie Ecclestone (pictured on the left with Petra Stunt and Tamara Ecclestone) must now start as a prosecutor by forking over £652,634,836 to HMRC in lieu of paying trial fees of £74,000 and settling his own legal bills, which is expected to reach six figures. It's enough to put a dent in anyone's fortune, or a self-made cash pile that has boosted Ecclestone (pictured on right with his wife Fabiana) to 73rd in the league tables of Britain's richest men, worth an estimated £2.498 billion. However, the 92-year-old (pictured inset with Niki Lauda) who pleaded guilty to a tax deception that involved lying to tax authorities about the existence of a Singapore-based trust worth £400 million has in fact orchestrated a major coup. For one thing, he didn't have to serve the remainder of his life in prison, rather than receiving a suspended sentence of 17 months.

For several reasons, a classic car can be a very useful investment. On today's market, reliability, authenticity, low mileage, and collectability are all factors that can cause vehicles from previous generations to be costly. But what about 'cute'? That's the word most correctly describing a collection of models being offered at a forthcoming big auction in Switzerland at the end of the week from a single-owner collection. They are part of one man's pile of charming cars uncovered through a fascination with mainly German and Italian brands dating back to the 1970s. We select our seven best examples from the 93 offerings to buyers at the RM Sotheby's St. Moritz auction on Friday, and we predict you will be bowled over by at least one of them.

POLE POINT: In Italian, there is a term that refers to Ferrari. L'anno prossimo è vince l'anno prossimo, anche quest'anno anno sivince. According to my weary spy in the Scuderia camp, "the winning year is always the next one," an expression of perpetual hope in the face of continuing disappointment.

In the film Rush, Formula One champion James Hunt's son slammed Australian actor Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of his father. In the 2013 film about the rivalry between the race car racer and Niki Lauda, Chris played James. He wasn't impressed with how the actor portrayed his father in the film, according to Freddie on the Pitstop Podcast.

POLE OPTION: Although never denying Formula One's knack for springing surprises, conjuring a tale or a disaster, or even a death may have sparked rumors, the powers that be may as well give out the awards to Max Verstappen and Red Bull right now. So poor is the opposition that if Verstappen sits out the next eight or nine races before returning to a frantic attempt to cut the deficit. If there is one. Consider Niki Lauda's enforced absence (under unforeseen circumstances, wished on nobody) in the 1976 championship battle against James Hunt. However, dreaming aside, the only thing that remains is if Red Bull will win every race this season.

JONATHAN McEVOY - POLE POSITION: After Niki Lauda's death, Mercedes will find out in the next 72 hours if there is life after him. It's now been over four years since the inspirational man died at the age of 70, 43 years after the fire that left him burnt, scared but unbowed. He was a 'warrior,' as Bernie Ecclestone wrote in Mail Sport at the time of the Austrian's death, saying: 'I wish he had lived a happy life, but that would not have fitted him.' He was not a good man of peace. He was a soldier.'

POLE POSITION JONATHAN McEVOY IN MIAMI: If there is one thing history has taught us not to take as gospel it is Lewis Hamilton's until-death-us-dote promise to remain wedded to Mercedes. We all know this because he left McLaren, where the prodigy had been lavishly lavished with funds and talent, to join the Silver Arrows more than a decade ago. Although McLaren, Ross Brawn, and Niki Lauda had strong links with Mercedes as engine partners, these two men were essentially giving him a clean break and a fresh start.

JONATHAN MCEVOY: BY JONATHAN MCEVOY (exclusive interview): For a long time, no one really knew Guenther Steiner. He was a Formula One backwoodsman. In some circles, a dutiful servant, a good boss, and well-known. And then, a teen, perhaps 16 years old, tried to get his autograph, or even a selfie that was more likely, she collapsed flat on her face. On the hard, shiny floor. Guenther was not aware of the crash, but he learned about the group around him, and we quietly swapped positions in the queue so he was just marginally more obscured from view. This is what Netflix has done to him. The Haas team principal is known for his straight-talking and, more accurately, expletive-riddled demeanour, and he is a hostage to fame wherever he goes.

Although Mercedes' current form - or lack thereof - as the fourth best team on the grid and committed to the difficult challenge of upgrading their car - could devolve into a terminal complaint as the season progresses, Hamilton wonders whether or not he'll win the eighth world championship representing what he's dubbed his'masterpiece'. And it may become a case not only of 'if' and 'when', but of 'where'?In other words, will he feel a pull to leave Mercedes and finish his career in pursuit of his one remaining racing dream at a team better equipped to power him to the elusive octuplet?

Baker, who appeared on the BBC in 1980 when it was in its old form, died on Monday surrounded by her family, according to her spokesman. The host appeared on 22 series of the show from 1980, with her role eventually replaced by motormouth Jeremy Clarkson. She returned to working as a motoring journalist, including stints with the Observer, Saga Magazine, and the Motor Racing News Service, which she founded. Baker is pictured with Niki Lauda at Brands Hatch on the right.

Max Verstappen's home win at Circuit Zandvoort on Sunday was another spectacular twist in the F1 season. After yet another strong showing, the Red Bull driver won his fourth victory in a row, but that wasn't the only big talking point from the weekend. Sportmail looks at all the best bits from a brave pigeon standing amidst the screaming cars to Sebastian Vettel's heart-warming meeting with Ukrainian refugees before the race.