Niki Lauda’s comeback after his horrific accident in 1976 at the Nurburgring has gone down in F1 folklore as one of the greatest moments in the sport’s 75-year history.
The Austrian suffered terrible burns and head injuries when he had to be dragged from his burning Ferrari, in a heroic effort by Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl and Brett Lunger.
Lauda was not expected to survive due to his facial burns and flame inhalation, but his incredible fight to save his own life culminated in a remarkable comeback at Monza, just two races after his accident.
Determined to make up for the points he lost against title rival James Hunt, it was a long road to recovery for Lauda, but he managed to defy the odds with the help of fitness guru Willi Dungle.
How Niki Lauda’s fitness guru helped him make his remarkable F1 comeback
By all accounts, Lauda should not have been at the 1976 Italian Grand Prix. His facial burns were still raw and were aggravated every time he removed his helmet.
Still facing questions over his mental state after the crash, he employed the help of Dungle to help him overcome any mental and psychological problems. It was from there, Dungle helped him overcome any fears he might have of something happening again.
“Willi (Dungle) prepared him not only physically, but also mentally, psychologically, emotionally for his return to the cockpit,” said journalist Richard Williams on the And Colossally, That’s History! podcast.
“One of the tests he devised to check whether or not his patient, Niki, was ready to race again, was that he rolled sheets of newspaper into balls, then set them alight and threw them at Niki. He wanted to see if Niki could deal with that challenge rationally or whether the sight and smell of a flaming ball being hurled at him would cause him to lose control.”
Lauda was able to overcome the problems, but it didn’t stop him from receiving a second medical to ensure he was 100% fit to take on a full Grand Prix at one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.
READ MORE: When a Ferrari technical ‘genius’ helped Niki Lauda win his first title at Monza 50 years ago
Niki Lauda finishes fourth after comeback from horror crash in 1976
Jacques Laffite started from pole in his Ligier-Matra from Jody Scheckter in the six-wheeled Tyrrell, with Lauda starting from fifth ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Clay Regazzoni.
Lauda didn’t take any risks at the start and effectively allowed Reutemann and Regazzoni to pass him, but later in the race, he managed to retake Reutemann and the two Tyrrell drivers after Ronnie Peterson powered through the field.
Now in fourth place, Lauda finished just 19.4s down the road from race winner Peterson. This enabled him to extend his lead in the championship over Hunt to five points with three rounds left.
Further points in the US Grand Prix put Lauda three points ahead of Hunt heading into the final round at Suzuka, but the Austrian would later withdraw from the wet race out of safety concerns. This handed Hunt the title by one point, but it was Lauda who proved everyone wrong and triumphed after disaster.
The Austrian would win his second and final title with Ferrari the following year in 1977, then after a fallout with Enzo Ferrari, he would leave to join Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team at the end of the 1970s.