The Großer Preis von Deutschland is about to start at the Nürburgring, the 14.2-mile “Green Hell” in the hills of the Eifel. It also tells a different side of that story, one of great disappointment.įirst we go back to 1 August, 1976. A very special moment: this timepiece has not seen daylight for decades, and it represents one of the most heroic moments in motorsport history. He calls out to his wife who fishes the Rolex from her handbag and gives it to us. He never wears the watch, but has agreed to bring it out to be photographed for the first time in 43 years. A wonderful gesture you would say, yet Merzario has distinctly mixed feelings about it. And one single, heroic moment made him immortal: in August 1976, Merzario rescued Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari at the Nürburgring and saved his life.Ī few months later, Lauda gave his rescuer a gold Rolex, an Oyster Perpetual Datejust. Yet he stole the hearts of many fans with his outgoing appearance and character.
Further stints for Williams, March and Wolf saw his results decline further, and an ill-fated attempt to race his own cars (based on March and Kauhsen chassis) in 19 yielded few qualifications and no race finishes.Īn inauspicious record in F1 does not do justice to Merzario’s ability. But in 85 Grands Prix from 1972–’79 the Italian never finished higher than fourth, despite a two-year factory seat at Ferrari - not in its finest form at the time.
The outfit is more than nostalgia he has been racing all his life and still competes today, although his heart belongs to the classics: “Already in the mid-Seventies, Formula One became too technical for my taste.”ĭuring his long career, Merzario tasted victory at the Targa Florio and the Spa 1,000km. Besides his dyed hair and wrinkled face, Arturo Merzario, 76, still looks as he did in his Sixties-Seventies heyday: dressed in a light blue racing overall and white cowboy hat, the kind he always wore for sponsor Marlboro.
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