Fifty years have passed since Niki Lauda’s Nürburgring crash, one of the most horrifying moments in Formula 1 history. At approximately 14:27 on 1 August 1976, during the second lap of the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Austrian champion’s Ferrari 312 T2 struck the guardrail, ricocheted across the circuit, was hit by other cars and burst into flames.
Half a century of motor racing has not diminished the impact of those blurred and terrifying images. The Ferrari breaks apart, burns and is struck by the cars arriving behind it. Just as unforgettable are the drivers who climbed from the wreckage of their own single-seaters and desperately tried to pull the Austrian from the flames before the few marshals stationed nearby were able to intervene.
Niki Lauda’s Nürburgring crash and the four-driver rescue
Four drivers saved Niki Lauda: Arturo Merzario, widely recognised as the decisive figure in those desperate moments; Englishman Guy Edwards; Austrian Harald Ertl; and American Brett Lunger. They were not among Formula 1’s biggest stars. If anything, they were supporting figures in an era when drivers with relatively limited resources could still find their way onto a Grand Prix grid. On that afternoon, however, all four displayed extraordinary courage and determination.
Guy Edwards miraculously avoided the Ferrari, stopped at the side of the circuit and attempted to warn the approaching drivers of the danger. He then moved towards Niki Lauda, whose car was engulfed in flames. Brett Lunger struck the Ferrari 312 T2 with his Surtees but managed to climb out before immediately rushing towards the burning car to help.
Harald Ertl also wrecked his Hesketh in the accident, but grabbed a fire extinguisher from the marshals and emptied it over the Ferrari. Arturo Merzario remained remarkably composed, reached into the cockpit and, with assistance from the others, succeeded in extracting Niki Lauda. By then, the Austrian had inhaled toxic fumes and was in a desperate condition. The sequence of impacts during Niki Lauda’s accident had left the four drivers with only moments in which to act.
Four heroes who acted before the marshals
These were the four “knights who pulled off the feat”, saving Niki Lauda’s life by intervening before the circuit marshals could reach him. Arturo Merzario’s part in the rescue has always been regarded as especially important, with the former Ferrari driver later offering his own account of how he helped save Niki Lauda.
Fate was not kind to all four rescuers. Harald Ertl, who had built a respectable career in junior formulas and touring-car racing before making around ten Formula 1 Grand Prix appearances, died on 7 April 1982 at the age of just 33. He had made his F1 debut at the German Grand Prix exactly one year before Niki Lauda’s accident.
Harald Ertl was killed when a small Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft, piloted by his brother-in-law, crashed while carrying the Austrian and his family. Four of the six people on board died. Ertl’s wife, Vera, and their son Sebastian, who was only three years old at the time, were the only survivors.
Life treated Niki Lauda’s other rescuers more gently. Arturo Merzario is now a lively 83-year-old who remains a familiar presence at motorsport events and on television programmes. Guy Edwards continued working in the world of motorsport sponsorship until his recent death at the age of 83.
The later life of Brett Lunger, who returned to the United States after his Formula 1 career, is less widely known but equally remarkable.
Brett Lunger’s journey from Vietnam to Formula 1
Brett Lunger was a former United States Marine who had fought in Vietnam. As he would explain years later, his military experience may have helped him during Niki Lauda’s accident. His training had taught him to react rapidly to unexpected and dangerous situations, relying on his own abilities and what he had learned at Quantico in Virginia.
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1945, Brett Lunger came from a wealthy and influential family. His mother, Jane du Pont, belonged to the Du Pont dynasty behind the chemical company of the same name, while his father, Harry W. Lunger, was a prominent businessman.
His promising academic career at Princeton University came to an abrupt end in 1965, when Brett Lunger unexpectedly decided to join the Marines and serve his country. Holding the rank of lieutenant, he commanded an infantry platoon in Vietnam and experienced combat first-hand.
After returning home, Lunger began pursuing his passion for motor racing. He initially competed in Corvettes and Can-Am machinery before making a name for himself in American Formula A. He then moved into Formula 5000 single-seaters, including appearances in Britain, and gained further experience in Formula 2.
Brett Lunger’s Formula 1 career
Brett Lunger received his first major Formula 1 opportunity at the German Grand Prix in August 1975, driving a Hesketh-Ford 308. The following year, the season of Niki Lauda’s accident, the American raced a Surtees-Ford TS19 and a March-Ford 761.
In 1977 and 1978, he competed with McLaren-Ford, initially driving an M23 and later an M26. His Formula 1 career ended at the 1978 United States Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen, where he drove an Ensign-Ford N177.
Across 34 Formula 1 starts, Brett Lunger’s best result was seventh place at Zolder in the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix. For part of his career, his racing efforts were supported by cigarette company Chesterfield, a sponsorship he secured through his connections within American industry.
Humanitarian flights and a new life after racing
After leaving motor racing, Brett Lunger turned his attention to an entirely different form of service. He became involved with Angel Flight, a network of volunteer pilots dedicated to humanitarian missions. These flights were primarily used to transport seriously ill children and military veterans living in rural areas far from leading hospitals.
Lunger later became a businessman, marketing specialist and motivational consultant. He also led a company named Responsibility Today. In more recent years, journalists contacted him in Arizona, where he lives for part of the year, alternating his time there with Delaware.
The personal tragedy before the 1976 German Grand Prix
Brett Lunger revealed that he had learned of his father’s death on the day before the fateful Nürburgring accident. His father had been ill for some time, and John Surtees, who had entrusted Lunger with one of his cars, suggested that the American should withdraw from the race given his emotional state. Lunger refused to stop.
After qualifying 24th for the 26-car grid, Brett Lunger started the race on wet-weather tyres even though sections of the circuit, which measured more than 22 kilometres, had already dried. Around ten kilometres beyond the start-finish straight, the drivers reached a very fast, hilly section containing a difficult S-bend.
Niki Lauda had already switched to slick tyres and passed Brett Lunger easily before crashing a short time later. Lunger later recalled slowing down when he reached the scene but not by enough to avoid the Ferrari, which was positioned sideways across the circuit.
Brett Lunger’s memories of the rescue
After climbing out of his own car, Brett Lunger found a fire extinguisher nearby and began using it. He then climbed onto the Ferrari and joined Arturo Merzario, who had somehow managed to release Niki Lauda’s seat belts. Together, they helped pull the Austrian from the cockpit.
The entire rescue unfolded within a matter of moments, but every one of those moments proved decisive because the circuit’s emergency crews arrived late. It was such a terrible experience that Brett Lunger later said he hoped nobody would ever have to endure anything similar.
Niki Lauda’s simple “Thank you” at Monza
Another moment remained fixed in Brett Lunger’s memory: his next meeting with Niki Lauda at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix, where the Austrian made his extraordinary return to Formula 1 after nearly losing his life.
As they walked along the pit lane before practice, Niki Lauda touched Brett Lunger on the shoulders and simply said, “Thank you.” Nothing more was needed. That was entirely in keeping with Niki Lauda’s character, and Brett Lunger believed it was precisely the right gesture because it perfectly reflected the person he was.
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