Niki Lauda died almost five years ago at the age of 70. The Austrian three-time world champion was a wealthy man and after his death there was an inheritance of around 100 million euros to be divided. But there has been a lot of fuss about that in recent years. Niki Lauda had set up a foundation to help his family financially and to ensure the smooth distribution of his money, but that did not work.
Birgit Lauda (maiden name Wetzinger) has already sued the foundation several times. She first demanded thirty million euros and later more than twenty million, while she already receives 20,000 euros monthly and the foundation pays all costs for the maintenance of the two family villas in Vienna and Ibiza. The legal costs rose to 300,000 euros and Birgit saw her application for legal aid rejected, but she still continues to litigate.
According to Kurier, she has now significantly adjusted her demands. For example, a former flight attendant would now be satisfied with 8 million euros. How did that happen? Well, according to the newspaper, the woman wants to move to Switzerland as soon as possible and hopes to reach an agreement with the foundation. Her new boyfriend, financial expert Marcus Sieberer (56), already lives in Switzerland and the couple would like to get married soon. But if Birgit remarries, the monthly payment of 20,000 euros would disappear.
The two children of Niki and Birgit Lauda, the twins Mia and Max (14), are also said to be already enrolled in a Swiss school.
Niki Lauda: three-time world champion, almost burned alive and built a fortune
He is one of the most famous F1 drivers of all time, Niki Lauda. The Austrian made his debut in 1971 for March racing team in the premier class of motorsport and in 1974 he switched to Ferrari, which he immediately won the world title.
But two years later, disaster struck. During the German GP his car caught fire, almost burning him alive. The crash would mark the rest of Lauda’s life: his face was partly burned and his lungs and kidneys were severely damaged by the accident, meaning he had to undergo a kidney transplant twice during his life as well as a double lung transplant.
He became legendary with his return to Formula 1, just 42 days after his near-fatal crash: at the grand prix at the Monza circuit six weeks later, he was back in his Ferrari and drove to fourth place. That year he would ultimately have to leave the world title to James Hunt. The difference: one meager point. Lauda also became world champion in 1977 and 1984. In total, Lauda won 25 F1 races.
After his racing career, Lauda embarked on a career in the aviation sector. He founded several airlines, the last of which was Laudamotion. That’s how he built his fortune. Lauda was also involved as an advisor at Ferrari and later became team boss at Jaguar’s F1 team. He has been involved with the Mercedes racing team since September 2012.
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