Toto Wolff: That was the whole Niki Lauda thing.…

      On Niki Lauda's birthday, his old friend and compatriot Toto Wolff, the head of the Mercedes team, shared a story related to the memory of this great racer.

      Toto Wolff: "When I think about Nicky, I immediately remember a lot of wonderful moments associated with him, but if you choose one story, it happened when we were returning from Suzuki to Vienna together, from the Japanese Grand Prix, where our team won the championship.

      But first we need to clarify the context a bit: Nicky always said that he had no friends. He explained it this way: "When and if I have real problems, for example, if I faint and can't call anyone, then no one will help me."  

      So, we were sitting on the plane, after takeoff, dinner was served to us, and then Nicky said: "You know I don't have any friends."

      I replied that I knew it wasn't news, because he was always telling everyone that. Then he continued: "But if there was such a thing as a half-friend, then for me it would be you."

      And then I noticed a small tear in the corner of his eye and thought: "Can Niki Lauda really get emotional and allow himself such emotions? I can't believe it!"

      The fact is that Nicky was a very rational, logical person. But he immediately added: "Stop, stop, stop, we will not develop this topic. I just wanted to say that even if I faint and can't reach you, you'll still be half a friend to me."

      It was very nice to hear that, because I understood: This is real praise, equivalent to recognition.: "You are my friend." That was the whole Niki Lauda thing, he expressed it in his own way, and this very precious moment for me will remain in my memory forever."