"I thank you so much for the great interest shown to me. Today I have completed thirty laps and with satisfaction I have realized my future possibilities. Tomorrow I will be in Salzburg for a general medical control. Then I'll go to Monza and, after the regular medical check-up, I'll do the tests to make sure if I'll be able to participate to the Italian Grand Prix. Again thank you and please bring my grateful greetings to the Italian sportsmen".
Curiously enough, the best proof of the Austrian's good condition will be the fact that he has been able to withstand this furious assault with ease. Niki, wearing blue jeans, a sporty checked shirt, a grey sweater and a cap on his head, gives the idea of not having changed at all. A cap protects his head and right ear, deformed; the face around the eyes bears the signs of burns; his hair is very short.
"I'm going to Monza, but not to win. It's my first Grand Prix after the Nurburgring accident. For me it will only be a training for the following ones, a way to regain the perfect shape. I feel one hundred percent ready, but it's a month that I haven't been in a Formula 1 car and I don't know what my performance can be. Today everything goes well and I have no particular problems. I'm not so much worried about driving as I am about endurance".
Does it bother you to be seen in public?
"No, I have other problems that are more important than aesthetic ones".
Did you force yourself today?
"For goodness sake, I certainly didn't have to do a Grand Prix at Fiorano".
Lauda explains that in Monza he will turn slowly, trying little by little to increase the pace. Niki, however, is sure to run at Monza: the only possible obstacles to his participation are a negative outcome of the check-up in Salzburg, a no from the medical staff at Monza on Friday morning before the start of the tests, and a possible physical decline on Saturday evening or Sunday. Lauda, immediately after the mini conference, will fly back to Salzburg. Thursday afternoon he will arrive in Milan. In the meantime, however, we are amazed to think about the speed of his physical recovery and the strength of will that he shows to have.
"He's a miracle worker, who would have thought that we could see him back here today, behind the wheel of a Ferrari?"
Admits, Ferrari speaking to a group of friends. To a reporter who at Fiorano, after his first test asked him between the naive and the provocative:
"What need is there to start again so soon?"
Niki answers:
"Because I'm healed".
But the reporter insists:
"But aren't you afraid?"
And Lauda, in response, replies:
"You're not a sports journalist, are you? You don't hang out in the racers' environment. Good. This is not the time to explain why a Formula 1 racer does this job, but of course this is my job. You, after an illness, go back to your newspaper, I go back to racing".
Wednesday 8 September 1976 Niki Lauda passes positively the check-up to which he is subjected by the health staff in Salzburg, which takes place around 3:00 p.m. It is the Austrian driver himself to declare it around 6:10 p.m., through a press conference at Schloss Fuschl.
"I'd rather have my right foot than a pretty face...".
Having obtained the certificate of physical fitness, the World Champion will report to the Monza track on Friday, September 10, to begin training behind the wheel of the Ferrari. His participation in next Sunday's Grand Prix is, however, conditioned by the examination of the sports doctors of Monza, who could also deny him the permission to take to the track, given that the visit will be carried out not before training, as initially planned, but at the end of the first two tests. In the meantime, in Erba, at 9:00 p.m., a club is born in honor of Arturo Merzario, who is present at the initiative. Marcello Sabbatini, director of Autosprint newspaper, gives Merzario a gift and a letter from Enzo Ferrari:
"Dear Merzario, I wanted to give you this memento in recognition of your act of courage at the Nurburgring. But on Friday I won't be able to be, as many other times, at the Italian Grand Prix. I asked my friend Marcello Sabbatini to bring you this memento from me. With cordial greetings also to his loved ones".
The object is a precious pin representing the Prancing Horse, that Merzario puts on his wife's jacket. The next day, Thursday, September 9, 1976, the Monza racetrack is already boiling, collecting money at everyday bargain prices and not yet at hyperbolic figures such as those expected for the Grand Prix. The atmosphere is typical, and fortunately unique in the racing world, hostile and violent in an attempt to reduce Italian permissiveness to order. The enclosure of the garages, the one defended like a bunker, is momentarily empty. There are only the big vans of the various teams, a few mechanics hanging around, a couple of racers, the unknown Swiss Kessel, who put together an old Williams, and Clay Regazzoni.
"There were always two of us on the day of the eve, however, tomorrow Niki will also be here. He'll be there too".
Dressed in a biker suit, Clay struts around on a Kawasaki. He is as extroverted as ever, but seems a little saddened, almost as if he senses a decline in the air, if, as seems certain, Ferrari will dismiss him at the end of the season. Certainly, the renouncement to the Austrian Grand Prix and the second place in Zandvoort, welcomed as a defeat, have affected his morale, perhaps because he has limited reserves inside, he is not a rock like Niki, whom he likes to define a slightly more virile Corleone. Clay talks for a moment about the chicanes, which he judges in colorful and negative jargon, then he puts on his multipurpose helmet and rides off on the Kawasaki that roars through the crowd of outcasts beyond the nets. There's Brambilla in the corner, who has more details about the technical problem with the new chicanes:
"They're too narrow, the edges too high, and there' s the usual and even greater risk of everyone ending up bunched up on top of each other. For the cars, on the other hand, it's more wear and tear: two downshifts and braking, then two more accelerations. Let's say that the chances of not finishing the race increase by twenty percent".
All around are the dogs of the paratroopers kept on a leash, which are frightening because of their defiant attitude and the potential violence they express. By dint of teasing them, one dog ends up biting someone he shouldn't, namely a mechanic, and suffers an even crueler punishment of belting. The environment is not one of the best, the color of the next few days will perhaps save it, but now it's really unbearable. In the hotel where the Ferrari team is staying, however, a corner of peace can be glimpsed, despite the noise of the articulated vehicles passing along the state road in the distance. No dogs, no barriers, at least until the crowd finds out. Niki arrived here directly from Linate. Intelligently, he told Ghedini, who had gone to welcome him in Bologna two days earlier:
"Not at Monza, no, better at the hotel right away. It's too messy down there".
Niki hit the nail on the head, above all because of the morbid curiosity that is triggered around him. The Austrian driver may be suffering from it, but certainly those close to him, such as Marlene, who has experienced months of tension and more than ever before in her life, are suffering more. What saves him is his concentration on the race, his incredible ability to return to the character of the driver who only cares about his car. On the contrary, being able to play his role puts him in a good mood, the imminence of the test excites him, stimulates him to do more: two hours of early morning footwork, taking care not to sweat too much, then a session with the now famous Dungl, a masseur who prides himself on toning the muscles and not putting them to sleep. Here is Niki the driver, who only smiles when he is told that the impossible dream of Monza has come true.
"Did you have any doubt?"
He retorts, and then it comes to mind that first agency news, when, reading the lines reported by Kurler, the first comment has been:
"He's so crazy that he's really racing".
Now Niki is in Monza, and he is also asked to account for what he would have said, according to an agency, about Reutemann.
"I am Reutemann's enemy? Nonsense. Reutemann in Monza is fine, because there is new contract, he tried, Monza is in Italy. Ferrari powerful can give many mechanics".
He speaks just like that, in Italian.
"It's in Canada that I say best run two cars, so two older contracts, very distant, complication per car, me in the race to win, not just to race like here".
All clear and precise, as it is in the character, stupendously identical to his usual self. Then, perfect administrator of himself, Niki goes to sleep early. On Friday he will be on the track at Monza and there is nothing to joke about. A test under his own responsibility, which is worth more than any medical examination. After so much controversy, so many doubts and questions, it's time for the facts.
In the meantime, on Thursday, September 9, 1976, a new collaboration contract has been signed between Bernie Ecclestone, representing Brabham, and Vincenzo Moro, representing Alfa Romeo, almost three months earlier than initially planned (November 30, 1976). The new contract contains a clause, desired by Bernie Ecclestone, whereby Alfa Romeo undertakes not to participate in Formula 1 races until its expiry date, i.e. until the end of the 1977 championship. Friday, September 10, 1976, on the track of the old Monza racetrack, Formula 1 drivers and cars appear for the first day of official testing ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, the twelfth and fourth last race of the world championship. The central issue of the Italian Grand Prix remains, of course, the challenge between Ferrari and McLaren. On one side Niki Lauda, Clay Regazzoni and Carlos Reutemann with the 312 T2, on the other side James Hunt and Jochen Mass with the M23s powered by the eight-cylinder Ford Cosworth. Niki Lauda, only forty days after the terrible accident at the Nurburgring, returns to the track. His sudden return to Monza surprises everyone, and in the circus more than one voice is raised to ask what are the real health conditions of the Austrian champion. The response of the sports doctors should have cleared up any doubts, however it seems interesting to hear the opinion of the other drivers and some of the characters in the environment, starting with James Hunt, Lauda's friend and direct rival in the World Championship:
"I am happy with Niki's return. This means that he has recovered. Moreover, I confess that winning without him was not satisfying. With Niki, it will be more difficult to assert oneself, but success will have another value".
Vittorio Brambilla:
"Lauda has returned and he has done well. He has a championship, a prestige and interests to defend. He won't be okay aesthetically, but to race, that doesn't matter".
Jean-Pierre Jarier:
"I am very happy that Niki is back to racing, because this is a sign that he is perfectly healed and that he has also overcome any psychological obstacles".
Hans Stuck:
"Lauda is back too soon. In my opinion, Niki returned because Ferrari hired Reutemann".
Ronnie Peterson:
"He's great. Good luck".
Alan Jones:
"It's just fabulous".
Emerson Fittipaldi:
"This return for Niki is very important. A week after the accident I knew he would return to Monza, because he has a great will that has allowed him a miraculous recovery".
Jacques Laffite:
"If Niki is back, it means that he is prepared both physically and psychologically. I am sure that in these last races, he will also return to victory".
Brett Lunger:
"I'm happy, it's a very good thing that he is back".
John Watson:
"It's great, unbelievable".
Loris Kessler:
"He's got a lot of courage, because I think after such an accident, to come back to racing in such a short time is almost impossible".
Jody Scheckter:
"He's very good. If he will make it we will only know after the Grand Prix; however, if his car is okay, he can take points away from Hunt".
Mario Andretti:
"I am very pleased to see that Niki has recovered so soon. He is a colleague I respect a lot".
It is never very clear who instigates the changes to circuits, but the reasons are usually in the interests of safety though more attention could be paid to racing car design and manufacture, to say nothing of closer inspection of components. Teaching some drivers to drive more carefully could also add its quota to making motor racing safer. This year the Monza Autodromo has undergone some major changes in the interests of safety and the best thing that has happened is the total elimination of the stupid artificial chicane just beyond the end of the pits. Much further on, at the very beginning of the Curva Grande a new complex of two ess-bends joined by a short straight has been built. At the end of the main straight, instead of setting the car up for the challenging high-speed right-hand curve, you now brake really hard for a sharp left/right ess-bend, This is followed by a quick squirt to another left/right ess-bend and then you accelerate round what is left of the Curva Grande. This double-ess has been properly constructed with bevelled kerbs and grass verges and has been blended into the circuit remarkably well. If you overdo it on initial braking you can run straight on into a great sea of fine gravel in which even a Formula One car would sink to some depth. To retrieve cars from this over-shoot area there is a permanent mechanical winch and hawser to one side with a grappling hook always at the ready. On the outside of this new double-ess five grandstands have been built, giving spectators a fine view of the track. From the Curva Grande the cars get back up to a fair turn of speed on the run down to the Lesmo corners.
To stop anyone going into these corners too fast another permanent left/right ess-bend has been built just before the original braking area. On leaving this ess-bend there is barely time to accelerate before arriving at the first of the Lesmo corners. These two modifications to Monza have removed all the challenge from the Curva Grande and the Lesmo and reduced them to the lowest common driving denominator, just as the chicane has decimated the once challenging Woodcote Corner at Silverstone. On the back leg of Monza the permanent ess-bend at Viatone corner remains unchanged, as does the Curva Sud or Parabolica. Whether all these alterations make Monza better, worse or safer, is a matter of opinion, but they certainly make it different and in the face of a lot of opposition to motor racing it is better to have a different Monza than no Monza at all. Whatever else may be thought of the modifications their construction would appear to be faultless, the rear road surface being excellent and its blending into the old surface is a lesson to all circuit builders. The effect of all this stopping and starting is to add some ten seconds to the lap time and reduce the average speed from around 138 km/h to well under 130 km/h; still a respectable average speed but a shadow of former days when Monza was lapped at over 150 km/h. However, on Friday morning when practice is due to start the rain is pouring down. Only three drivers brave the floods, these being Brambilla, Perkins and Stommelen, the orange March splashing round for quite a number of laps and recording the fastest at just under 80 km/h. The Australian in the Dutch-owned Ensign demonstrates aquaplaning to the assembled company huddles in the pits, by spinning on the straight and the German driver tries to settle himself into his new position in the Ecclestone Alfa-Romeo team where he is replacing Reutemann. The swarthy Argentinian terminated his contract with Ecclestone immediately after the Dutch GP and joined the Ferrari team alongside Lauda, who made a brave return to racing sooner than anyone expected, and Regazzoni. Although the torrential rain eases off towards mid-day it does not really stop, and the clouds are almost down on the ground, but as conditions are obviously not going to improve everyone decides to get on with it. Brake air scoops and ducts are taped over, ignition systems and sparking plugs are waterproofed, cockpit air vents are covered up, rain tyres fit all round and everyone knows exactly what they are in for. Reutemann sets the ball rolling and when Lauda appears everyone cheers and claps to welcome him back.
Apart from obvious signs of burns around the ears he looks pretty fit, and though he does not indulge in any heroics in the wet conditions he is greeted with enthusiasm all round the circuit. In contrast Hunt is greeted with whistles and cat-calls every time he appears anywhere and especially as he sets off on his opening lap. He does not complete the lap, spinning off on the last corner and damaging the nose cowling. It is not serious, but he takes the spare McLaren while the damage is put right. After some cautionary laps of investigation some of the drivers really get stuck into the job of rain driving, notably Stuck, lckx, Fittipaldi, Edwards, Andretti, Peterson and Laffite and at times you can think the track is dry by the way Stuck is flinging the white March through the new double-ess. He is even seen to overtake slower cars between the two ess-bends. As far as achieving anything the whole day is an absolute dead-loss, but there is no sign that the weather is going to improve so some sort of performance has to be registered and Stuck and Peterson are on their own with laps at just over two minutes. Not surprisingly Jacky lckx is third fastest with the dark blue Ensign, though his driving has not looked at all spectacular; he has achieved his speed by finesse rather than bravado. Shortly before it was all over both Stuck and Regazzoni has excursions off the track, but neither was serious. To complicate, however, this return to Monza of Lauda there is the rain: the water flows like a river on the track and the roads are flooded; the old plant of Monza saddens between mists and vapors and shows all its time. The people who fill the stands get soaked, the cold extinguishes ardor and suspense. The firemen try to clean up some parts of the semi-submerged circuit, the drivers stay in the pits. Two and a half hours wasted. In the first hour and a half only four daring drivers try their luck, while in the final hour all of them make timid sorties: the cars have to be prepared for the wet, even if the weather forecast is fair. Spins, turns and exits from the track multiply: good Perkins starts, who with his Ensign manages to make a sort of incredible dance in the straight in front of the pits, and even Hunt goes on with the McLaren, Stommelen with the Brabham-Alfa, Stuck with the March, and Clay Regazzoni with the Ferrari. Nothing serious, the most injured is Hunt, who has to leave his car for the mule, and Regazzoni, whose car has damage to the nose.
"My brakes locked up as I was about to enter at 50 km/h the chicane before the Lesmo curves. I ended up on the sand and then in the row of protective nets. The wet sand did not slow my car down and this is a very bad thing. The nets wrapped me up like a cocoon and I couldn't get out of the cockpit. The marshals had to free me. I prefer not to think about what could have happened in case of fire".
Regazzoni is the fastest of the trio of Ferrari drivers. Clay gets the seventh time in 2'10"85, against the eleventh of Reutemann in 2'14"59, and the nineteenth of Niki Lauda in 2'35"5. The best is the German Hans Stuck, who navigates in the water of Monza in 2'02"79 at the average speed of 170 km/h, not exactly a record. The technical commissioners will revolutionize this classification after the verifications of the cars, declaring irregular the Lotus of Andretti, the March of Peterson, the Ensign of Lekx and the Williams of Merzario for the air intakes too high, and the Ferrari of Regazzoni, that in addition to having the air intakes too high, has a rear wing overhang of a millimeter higher than allowed. Lauda, who appeared serene, cheerful, much more relaxed and fit, drove with great caution and attention, and certainly not because he did not feel at ease or was disturbed by any pain.
"It was impossible to control the car; too much water on the track, too much fog at Lesmo. My health had nothing to do with it".
The bad weather also unnerved James Hunt.
"Ferrari has been testing at Monza for the past few days, and they were able to prepare the cars properly. These two and a half hours are a handicap for me and an advantage for Lauda and his colleagues. And I absolutely have to win on Sunday, because I need to score points and go to Canada with a bit of an advantage over Niki. I am not worried about racing against three Ferraris. You know, it's Enzo Ferrari who has to worry; managing three cars and three drivers is not easy".
It's raining with progressive severity and it won't stop until late afternoon. Niki is in the back of the pits without arousing too much curiosity, disguised as he is in a raincoat that conceals his appearance. He wants to stay in peace in the caravan behind the pits, until he decides to sortie towards the track. From this moment on, all attention shifts to him: legitimate and morbid curiosity, TVs one after the other, photographers all the time, many questions - few of them intelligent - from journalists and intruders. For Niki, the Grand Prix of words lasts a long time and at the end of the day he wins it clearly, in shape as never before with his immediate, brilliant banter, even with this Italian that is sometimes difficult for him. In the Ferrari pits everyone is dressed the same, with yellow Agip raincoats, drivers, mechanics, technicians, even Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Niki speaks in front of six microphones in order, alternating between German, English and Italian, starting to talk about the medical examination, of which he says:
"Only a doctor who hates those with their teeth out would fail me".
Is he happy to be in Monza?
"I'm happy to be in the world".
What are his limitations?
"I don't know, I do the Grand Prix to find out. If they are the usual ones, I might even win".