Best Niki Lauda Quotes On Life, Success And Entrepreneurship
Andreas Nikolaus “Niki” Lauda was an Austrian Formula One driver, a three-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and aeronautics Entrepreneur. He was the only driver in F1 history to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the game’s two best constructors. He is broadly viewed as one of the best F1 drivers ever. As a flying business person, he established and ran three airlines: Lauda Air, Niki, and Lauda. He was a Bombardier Business Aircraft brand ambassador.
This article is a tribute to his journey and his soul.
Here are some of the Best Niki Lauda Quotes
“Airlines go in the long run at the competition to reason. For the passenger, the competition is good, because each competitor tries to undercut the other one.”
“I always go extreme ways.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Taking your first title is much more complicated and more difficult; it takes years of work – from a go-kart to Formula One. The second comes more easily because you’ve already got the experience.”
“You appreciate that it is very easy to die and you have to arrange your life to cope with that reality.” ~ Niki Lauda
“From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks, conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.”
“Sebastian [ Vettel] can also learn to be more laid-back. It’s never too late to learn. He’s got some way to go. He’s young and will turn out well. I’m not worried about that. He’ll raise the bar ever higher.” ~ Niki Lauda
“To make a decision you need to be in a perfect environment: you have to be motivated and surrounded by the right people.”
“When you have something in black and white, you can deal with it quicker.” ~ Niki Lauda
“A lot of people criticize Formula 1 as an unnecessary risk. But what would like to be like if we only did what is necessary?”
“The air travel industry moves into a new phase every five to six years.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Ultimately, an aircraft owner does not want to have to deal with all the intricate details which are necessary for the business.”
“You have a break in your brain that stops you doing stupid things. The older you are, the earlier that break comes on. When you’re 20 you stop at nothing; when you’re older you’re cleverer than when you’re 20, so your brain brake operates more often!” ~ Niki Lauda
“A race isn’t won until it’s over.”
“When things change a lot, some guys handle the change better than others, but that doesn’t mean the guys that take longer to get the hang of things are suddenly slow drivers!” ~ Niki Lauda
“You must always be faster and better than the others.”
“Jean Todt’s system will never succeed, not even with Michael Schumacher.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Don’t talk too much, be focused on the goal and achieve it.”
“It was the same with Schumacher: the need for the adrenaline rush, to push himself to the limit was always there. So without a Formula One car to race with he went on to do motorcycle racing and other stupid things, and obviously that wasn’t enough to keep him happy, so he had a problem to sort out and returning to racing was his answer to the problem.” ~ Niki Lauda
“If you are for a long time at the top you’ve basically achieved everything you wanted to. Then the ball’s breaking stuff starts to be too much: it’s not what you do in the car, it’s what you do outside the car – the press conferences, the interviews, the sponsorship commitments, the marketing appearances – that sadly go up to a level that the whole package, including the risks you take, the workload you do to get the car to work and for you to be quick in the races, it becomes too much.”
“To be honest, it is boring to talk about winning.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Happiness is an enemy. It weakens you. Suddenly, you have something to lose.”
“The crucial point is always the own cost structure. Therefore I created a Low-Cost alliance with Air Berlin.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Running an airline is a normal job. Racing is more.”
“I was not interested at all in Formula One when I left; I was very busy with my airline. But slowly I started missing the adrenaline rush and the driving of such fantastic cars at the limit. In reality, this urge never disappears when you’re a top driver, because I think we’re a different breed of people, we need to take chances, we need to push ourselves to the limit all the time, that sort of thing. It stays with you, although you can kill it by losing motivation or other things in your life, it never leaves you forever.” ~ Niki Lauda
“Really, you should always discuss the defeats because you can learn much more from failure than from success.”
25th of 45 Quotes By Niki Lauda
“I always want to know whether the customers are satisfied; customer satisfaction is, after all, my ultimate goal!” ~ Niki Lauda
“When you have the chance to fight for victory or a podium finish, you have the motivation to push that extra bit out of yourself.”
“Whenever there is discussion, I make it clear that I do not want any grey zones, just black and white.” ~ Niki Lauda
“I’ve been through a lot and I realise the future can’t be controlled. I’m not worried. You can always learn to overcome difficulties.”
“In Germany air became generally accepted Berlin in this area. It operated with 45 aeroplanes within the Low-Cost range from Germany, and is one the most successful carriers in Europe.” ~ Niki Lauda
“This aircraft tops everything. All the others look old as compared to this one.”
“You must always aim for further growth.” ~ Niki Lauda
“The less you talk, the more time you have for the essential things.”
“I see myself as a classic middle market entrepreneur, and this is the role I fulfil.”
“I employ 20 people in Vienna. The other 130 coworkers are pilots and flight companions. The Overhead is limited to me. Reduces naturally the costs of my fliers.” ~ Niki Lauda
“I am someone who places great value on the detail. That was always the case, even in my days as a racing driver.”
“Whenever I see something that challenges me, I take it on.” ~ Niki Lauda
“My experience enables me to select the very best pilots in the market.”
“Grey zones do not interest me at all.” ~ Niki Lauda
“I maintain that the maxim is still to be faster than the others.”
“Giving up is something a Lauda doesn’t do.” ~ Niki Lauda
“I want to bring passengers on my aeroplanes to present to them my product.”
“If you are a straightforward racing driver you should always see your limits. You have to be objective and not come up with any bullshit.” ~ Niki Lauda
“I see myself as the mind of the business which takes care of every last detail; if you do not do this you cannot be fast enough.”
“Business is much less transparent than a win in a Grand Prix; in a race, you drive over the finishing line first and you have won. In business it is different.”
