Bernie Ecclestone just told us that driver retirements are 'joyous events', but we're not so sure he was all too pleased with this instance. In September 1979, during practice for the Canadian GP, Brabham's Niki Lauda stepped out of his car and simply walked away from Formula 1, never to be seen again for the next two years! Bernie was forced to draft in at the last minute Ricardo Zunino who would go on to finish 7th that weekend in Montreal. In the meantime, Mr. Lauda was flying off into the sunset...

 

Pierre Van Vliet

Pierre Van Vliet is a respected and authoritative figure in F1 news circles and brings a wealth of information to F1i.com

Recent Posts

US Congress raises concerns over F1’s rejection of Andretti bid

A significant development has emerged in the ongoing saga surrounding Andretti Global's bid to enter…

43 mins ago

Celebrating Ferrari’s past, embracing the present

Celebrating Ferrari's 70-year journey in North America at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc…

1 hour ago

Alpine F1 appoints Sanchez as executive technical director

Alpine F1 has announced the appointment of former Ferrari and McLaren engineer David Sanchez as…

2 hours ago

RB unveils striking ‘Chameleon’ livery for Miami Grand Prix

Visa Cash App RB aims to make a splash at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix…

4 hours ago

Red Bull after Newey: Falling apart, or strength in depth?

It wasn't so long ago that we thought Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari at the…

5 hours ago

Vettel to pay tribute to Senna with McLaren MP4/8 run at Imola

Sebastian Vettel will pay a fitting tribute to the great Ayrton Senna later this month…

19 hours ago