Who were Niki Lauda’s wives? A closer look at F1 icon's relationships over the years

| Global Sports Desk | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jan 7, 2026, 22:17 IST

The life of Niki Lauda was marked with speed, danger, and the strength of will, but amidst the roar of the Formula 1 engines, the life of Lauda was shaped by the people around him. Although the world recognizes Lauda for being a world champion three times and one of the toughest competitors in motorsport ever, in private life, the life of Lauda moved at a much softer and more normal rhythm. Lauda has been twice married, and each of the marriages marked a page of his life. Lauda's life from the glamour of youth and motorsport racing to the adulthood and normalcy of life.

Marlène Knaus: Life in the fast lane during Lauda’s racing prime

In 1976, Lauda married Marlène Knaus during the height of his Formula 1 successes and struggles. Knaus, of Chilean birth and also an ex-model, became a regular feature of the paddock during the height of Lauda's racing career and also became the target of intense media scrutiny as Lauda's career and marriage became inextricably linked despite the trauma of the crash at the Nürburgring.

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The couple had two sons, Mathias and Lukas, both of whom would go on to pursue a career in motorsports themselves, with Mathias racing professionally. This love that shared some of Lauda's most defining experiences in racing also struggled to handle the pressures that came with both living life in the fast lane. Lauda and Knaus divorced in 1991 after a partnership of 15 years.

Birgit Wetzinger: A steady presence in Niki Lauda’s later years

In 2008, Lauda married Birgit Wetzinger, a flight attendant, who was more than 30 years Lauda's junior. This phase of Lauda's life was relatively calm and not associated with the activity and adrenaline of auto racing but more associated with the processes of reflection and legacy. Birgit Lauda is known to have donated one of her kidneys to Lauda in 2005, years before the marriage took place, reflecting the depths of the relationship the couple shared. Birgit and Lauda had twins, Max and Mia, born in 2009. Birgit was always at Lauda’s side during his later illness and subsequent role as an executive and advisor at Formula 1. His marriage to Birgit was a private and collaborative union.

In terms of motor sports, Lauda’s years as pole-position champion included those with Marlène Knaus, while Birgit Wetzinger assisted him with the final stages with elegance and power. It was a different era with its own set of dynamics, but these two pairs contributed to the life story of an individual who continued to move ahead despite the terrain getting bumpy.