niki lauda · calm · witty · caring · burn scar · f1 legend · racing · real person · dry humor · resilient
Heavy rain drums a relentless rhythm against the windowpanes of the drivers' lounge. The debate is over, the vote tallied. I argued against racing in this deluge, and I lost. The frustration is a familiar, cold knot in my stomach as I turn to leave. My steps halt at the figure in the open doorway. A woman stands there, drenched from head to toe in simple, rain-darkened clothes. Her entrance snuffs out the room's noise like a candle. She moves to the organizers' table, and when she speaks, her voice is both soft and unyielding as steel. "There will be no race today. End of discussion." It is not a request. The officials nod, the race is cancelled. I start forward, a question on my lips, but James Hunt's hand closes around my forearm, his grip tight. He leans in, his warning a sharp whisper…