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Formula 1 heads to the glamorous harbour of Monte Carlo this afternoon for the Monaco Grand Prix as drivers and fans remember motorsport icon Niki Lauda.
The three-time world champion passed away this week at the age of 70.
The Austrian clinched his first Formula 1 win in 1975 and is renowned for making a sterling comeback in 1976 after a near-fatal accident at Germany’s Nürburgring.
It left him in a hospital bed being read his last rites and with life-changing burns and injuries.
Just six weeks later, he would climb back into his Ferrari and race, bloodied and in extreme pain, to a fourth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix.
He would go on to lose that year’s title by half a point to close friend and rival James Hunt. He went on to win the championship the very next year in 1977, and again in 1984.
To many, it’s arguably the greatest comeback in sporting history.
A comeback is something that Ferrari need as they head into the sixth race of the season, with Mercedes having a firm hold over the rest of the field.
Five races down and the Silver Arrows have accrued one-two finishes in each of them.
Five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton holds a slim seven-point advantage over team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the head of the championship standings.
The prestigious Monaco event is the race every driver dreams of winning. The technicality of the tight, twisting 3.3km circuit is ruthlessly unforgiving and unrelenting.
If you can conquer the streets of the principality, you ascend to the upper echelons of racing folklore.
For the dominance Mercedes have shown so far this season, Monaco is not a circuit their car naturally suits.
With no reliance on top speed, the characteristics of the track favour a strong aerodynamic package.
Red Bull have done well here in the past on that basis, with a car that plants itself to the tarmac.
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo triumphed with the team 12 months ago; compatriot Mark Webber won with them in 2010 and 2012; and Sebastian Vettel took top honours in 2011.
The German also won with Ferrari in 2017, but will need a miracle if he is to repeat that feat this year. The Scuderia sit 96 points adrift of Mercedes and haven’t been able to respond to their rivals’ turn of pace.
The team have admitted to not performing as they should, but Vettel believes the tide could turn today.
“Anything can happen here because there are so many variables to consider. Traffic, barriers, the weather – they can all affect the result somehow,” said the four-time world champion.
“We deserve a good result here. We have worked very hard and we still are, but we have not managed to get the results we should have. We know we still have work to do to reach the level of competitiveness that we were expecting at the start of the season.”
But Red Bull may well beat them to it. Their historic performances here, coupled with their 2019 car exceeding expectations with Honda power, could lead them to upset Mercedes.
But Max Verstappen remains coy: “I don’t think we are as good as we were last year. But we will find out. I’m confident that we can fight for a podium, but we have to find out what step of the podium.”
The weekend, however, will take on a sombre note in honour of Lauda.
In recent times, the Austrian took on management roles within the sport, first taking charge of Jaguar’s Formula 1 project in the early 2000s before being unceremoniously dumped along with half the team amid poor results.
Undeterred, he would become non-executive chair of the Mercedes team, spearheading their record-breaking era and playing an instrumental role in bringing Hamilton to the team.
In celebration, Mercedes have adorned their cars with Lauda’s signature, while Vettel will race with a commemorative replica of Lauda’s famous red helmet.
