Birgit Wetzinger | Husband Niki Lauda | Married Life

Owner of an art gallery in Austria, Birgit Wetzinger is most renowned for being the late Niki Lauda’s wife, a Formula 1 driver, and an aviation magnate. Lauda and Wetzinger dated from the late 2000s till Niki passed away in 2019. Lauda, Birgit’s now-deceased partner, won three Formula One Grand Prix: in 1975, 1977, and 1984.

Birgit is well admired for having stuck by Niki through good times and bad, from the late racer’s heyday as a household figure to his life following the near-death experience in 1976.

What is known about Birgit Wetzinger’s early life on the internet?

Wetzinger was supposedly born in March 1979 and is a resident of Vienna. However, the remainder of her early life has largely consisted of behind-the-scenes activities.

Wetzinger’s previous wikis are anything but widely discussed, in contrast to her accounts about her late husband and the events that followed.

The only other thing that is currently accurate is that Birgit, who is 42 years old, worked as a flight attendant when she first met her future husband in the middle of the 2000s. She was employed by Niki’s airline, Lauda Air, at the time.

The Age Gap Between Niki Lauda And Birgit Wetzinger Was 30 Years

The racer, who was born in Zurich, was already 59 years old when they first met in 2004; Witzenger had just turned 29. Rush Niki did not meet Birgit while she was traveling, in contrast to the 2013 movie.

Instead, Nikki once claimed that he met her at a party and immediately fell in love with her. However, not long after their first encounter, Lauda took her for a drive.

It was at a gathering that they first met. Birgit was unaware of Niki’s identity. It seems she mistook him for a tennis player. At the time, Birgit was employed by Lauda’s airline as a flight attendant.

Not long after he had announced his second retirement from racing in 1985, Lauda had opened his airline. However, the airline ceased operations in April 2013.

In an interview, the 1975 F1 World Drivers’ Champion said that Birgit’s boots immediately drew him in. It was, he said, the first thing that drew his attention to her.

Nikki claimed he was unaware that Wetzinger was employed by his business.

Their nuptials

Two months before the wedding, Niki asked Wetzinger to marry her in a pizzeria in Ibiza. On August 25, 2008, at half-past three in the afternoon, they exchanged vows in the Vienna Wahring registry office in front of close family and friends.

On his big day, the businessman and veteran four-wheeler donned jeans and a red cap. In addition to certain family members and acquaintances, Haig Asenbauer, Niki’s longtime attorney, is one of the witnesses.

The couple took a weeklong flight to the Balearic island of Ibiza following their wedding. The former couple still owns a house there. It’s said that their wedding was over in seven minutes.

Sep 2009 saw the birth of their twins. Niki has three children: a son named Christoph from his third marriage, Mathias and Lukas from his first marriage, and twins from Birgit.

Lauda’s first wife, Marlene Knaus, gave birth to Mathias and Lukas. In 1991, Marlene and Niki called it quits on their 25-year marriage. However, the racer with 177 entries had an affair while still Marlene’s husband, which resulted in the birth of his son, Christoph. Birgit reportedly keeps up with Marlene, Niki’s ex-wife.

Wetzinger gave Niki Lauda her kidney.

Less than a year after they began dating in 2005, Lauda, Birgit’s ex-boyfriend, developed renal disease and required dialysis. Lauda requested a kidney test from his son Lucas through his ex-wife Marlene, but the results weren’t consistent.

Birgit then requested that her tissue be tested to see if she may be a suitable donor.

Wetzinger persisted for almost three months after AD Lauda’s denial, and in the end, she gave the former BMW M1 Procar Championship winner her kidney. Following a successful procedure, they would get married three years later.

The long-term consequences of Niki’s 1976 German Grand Prix accident at the Nurburgring, where he burned his lungs and had severe burns to his head, resulted in renal problems. He subsequently had two kidney transplants as a result. In addition, he received a lung transplant in the 2018 summer.

The Death of Birgit Wetzinger’s Spouse

On May 20, 2019, Niki Lauda, Birgit’s racing husband, passed away at the age of 70.

He died in the Zurich University Hospital. Birgit’s partner Lauda was receiving dialysis for kidney issues before his passing. He had become ill and admitted himself to the hospital.

Then, Wetzinger stated she couldn’t express how much she and her kids missed Niki in an interview with the Australian radio station O3. She said that although her family would always feel sadness over losing to Niki, the 1972 British Formula Two champion, they weren’t giving up.

She stated that she was gradually attempting to emerge from the pall of melancholy with her children.

Wetzinger added that to deal with the loss of the 1984 Formula One Champion, she and her family were seeking psychiatric assistance.

Regarding that, she said,

“Our goal is to grow stronger and more resilient in the face of this circumstance.”

In addition, AD Sieberer has two kids from a prior union. It’s said that Birgit and Sieberer, her current spouse, met in Ibiza through mutual friends. Wetzinger revealed her connection with Marcus to the radio station O3 in late 2021, stating that her late spouse had given both her and her new partner his blessing.

What Is Birgit Wetzinger Up To These Days?

Niki’s late wife Birgit, a former racer for McLaren/Ferrari, is said to currently operate an art gallery in Vienna. Birgit now serves as the founder of the charity Birgit Lauda Art Foundation.

She opened her business in 2017 and it’s an international art gallery with a primary focus on contemporary art, located in Vienna. Additionally, she won the 2018 4future Awards.

AD Wertinger states that she hopes to promote up-and-coming young artists as well as artists from around the world through her foundation. In addition, she hopes to simultaneously establish an artistic environment and offer a platform.

Birgit identifies as an ardent art enthusiast. In Vienna, she also studied art history. Otto Zitko and Scheibl are also favorites of the late Formula One driver’s widow. Wetzinger stated in an August 2018 interview with Vienna Contemporary that her previous interest in architecture was what initially drew her to the arts.

While residing in Ibiza with her late spouse, Niki, the pair would examine several architectural undertakings.

She Uses Instagram And Other Platforms To Promote Her Art Gallery

Although Birgit hasn’t been seen using her pseudonym on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, she has likely been in charge of her art foundation’s Instagram account since the middle of 2021.

Wetzinger’s Instagram accounts primarily include images of her art gallery and the events surrounding it, despite a few exceptions. However, Birgit hasn’t disclosed what her usuals are outside of work in these kinds of groups.

What is Birgit’s current net worth and how much of her husband’s wealth did she inherit?

Wetzinger was one of the beneficiaries of the wealth and assets left by the late Niki Lauda. To begin with, Birgit appears to still have access to Lauda’s Ibiza house, which is estimated to be worth six million dollars.

Although the details of Lauda’s will have not yet been made public, some sources assert that Wetzinger is among the beneficiaries of Lauda’s multimillion-dollar net worth, which also includes his real estate, assets, and yacht.

Given that Birgit also owns an art gallery in Vienna, she is probably a wealthy woman in her own right. Wetzinger’s net worth appears to be in the range of seven or possibly eight figures, however, it may take some time for outsiders to determine the exact amount she benefited from her late spouse’s fortune.

Additional Information

James Hunt, a fellow British Formula One Champion, was a rival and friend of Birgit’s late husband, Niki Lauda.

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