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

Antonelli: ‘Still a long way to reach Verstappen and Norris’ level’

Kimi Antonelli is sitting comfortably at the top of Formula 1’s 2026 Drivers’ Championship standings,…

15 hours ago

Szafnauer: Root cause of Aston Martin ‘mess’ planted five years ago

Former Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has delivered a stinging verdict on Team Silverstone's…

17 hours ago

Hadjar details how he unlocked his consistency at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar believes one of his biggest challenges during his first season with Red Bull…

18 hours ago

Four classic German GP winners at the Nürburgring on this day

Down the years, August 4th has seen several German Grand Prix races held at the…

20 hours ago

Gasly: Alpine’s Dutch GP upgrade ‘critical’ for F1 midfield fight

Pierre Gasly believes Alpine’s upcoming Dutch Grand Prix upgrade package will be “critical” to the…

21 hours ago

Piastri reveals hidden gains behind mixed first half of 2026

Oscar Piastri may not have the results to show for his efforts in 2026, but…

22 hours ago