Who is Niki Lauda's wife? Know all about Birgit Wetzinger

Lauda was seriously injured in a crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, during which his car burst into flames and he came close to death after inhaling hot toxic fumes.

Niki Lauda and Birgit Wetzinger in a file photo. (Image: Twitter)
By Nilavro Ghosh | May 20, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Niki Lauda was a Formula One driver from Austria. He is the only driver in F1 history to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, two of the sport’s most successful constructors. He won the World Drivers’ Championship three times, in 1975, 1977, and 1984. On February 22, 1949, he was born and on May 20, 2019, he died. Lauda was seriously injured in a crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, during which his car burst into flames and he came close to death after inhaling hot toxic fumes and suffering severe burns. He had emerged as Formula One’s star driver amid a 1975 title win and was leading the 1976 championship battle.

Even though he was the fastest driver on the Nurburgring during the 1976 F1 season, Lauda urged his fellow drivers to boycott the event a week before the race, citing the 23-kilometer circuit’s safety precautions as a reason. Lauda was involved in an accident on August 1, 1976, during the second lap at the very fast left kink before Bergwerk, when his Ferrari went off the track, hit an embankment, burst into flames, and collided with Brett Lunger’s Surtees-Ford car. Lauda, unlike Lunger, was trapped in the rubble.

Who is Niki Lauda’s wife?

Niki Lauda had two marriages. In 1976, he married his first wife, Marlene Knaus. The couple was married till 1991. Marlene was a fashion icon, model, and former socialite. Mathias and Lukas were their two children. During his marriage to Marlene, Niki had a son with another lady named Christoph. Niki’s 15-year marriage to Marlene ended after the affair, and they divorced in 1991. Niki married again in 2008, this time to Birgit Wetzinger. Birgit, a 40-year-old former flight attendant, is 30 years Niki’s junior. Birgit gave birth to twins a year after their wedding: a boy named Max and a daughter named Mia.

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Know all about Birgit Wetzinger

Birgit Wetzinger was born in Vienna, Austria, on March 4, 1979. Andreas Nikolas Lauda, called Niki Lauda, was her second husband and one of Austria’s top Formula One racers. She will be 43 years old in the year 2022. She is a member of the Indigenous Austrian Ethnicity and practises Christianity. She is a former air hostess who rose to prominence after donating one of her kidneys to save her then-boyfriend Niki Lauda’s life.

Wetzinger opted to seek a profession as a flight attendant shortly after graduating, according to some reports. She even has a certificate in aviation from a nearby institution. Apart from that, no information about her high school education or childhood is available.