It's no coincidence that this famous rivalry has given rise to a Hollywood film, as the characters and the scenario of this page of Formula 1 history are so unusual. On the one hand, the Englishman James Hunt, who does not hesitate to party the night before the races, wanders around the paddock with a cigarette on his lips and women on his arms, a virtuoso of the circuits.
On the other hand, the Austrian Niki Lauda, nicknamed "the computer", much more reserved, from the Viennese bourgeoisie and presented as more rigorous than talented. In 1975, Niki Lauda signed with Ferrari and won the World Championship. The following season, James Hunt, who had revealed himself in the Hesketh team, was recruited by McLaren. This year was one of the most impressive in the history of Formula 1. Lauda, the reigning champion, was the logical favorite, and Hunt, despite some good performances, fell behind in the standings.
But the Austrian suffered a serious accident during the German Grand Prix: he spent several weeks in hospital, his face was partially burned and his lungs damaged by the toxic fumes caused by the fire in his car due to the crash. During his recovery, Hunt made up for lost time and became a title contender. To everyone's surprise, Niki Lauda returned to racing less than two months after his near fatal accident, which left him with both internal and external injuries. In a gesture as heroic as it was unconscious, Lauda confirmed his desire to defend his title against his rival and finished the following races in good positions despite his physical condition. In the last race of the season, he was only 3 points ahead of James Hunt, but the bad weather conditions made him abandon the first lap for fear of another accident. Hunt then became Formula 1 World Champion.
It was nevertheless the only title for the Englishman, who was far too whimsical for this sport in which he was never really at home, and whose performances on the circuit were declining. As for Lauda, he became champion again in the 1977 season, but left Ferrari following internal disagreements. He then spent two seasons with Brabham without success and retired before returning in 1982 to McLaren. In 1984, he won his third title, before having a more discreet final season in the shadow of a certain Alain Prost the following year. After his career, James Hunt became a brilliant commentator for the BBC where he operated for 13 years until his death from a heart attack. Lauda will return to Formula 1 much later, and was a strong man of Mercedes from 2012 to 2018. He will die in 2019 of a lung infection, 43 years after his accident in Germany.
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