tonight we talk about formula 1 racing and a new movie called "rush." we begin with the director, ron howard. >> niki lauda, just 42 days after his near fatal accident will race his car against all medical advice and no doubt in incredible pain. >> you know, it's technology pushed to its limits whereas with nascar they actually -- they hold it back a little bit. and so everything is about being on the limit. and the demands on the vehicle and therefore, you know, the skills of the drivers are different. but for me it was interesting because it's a story of two

rivals, it's a story of achievement, it's kind of an inspiring story in a very unexpected way. >> rose: we conclude the evening with niki lauda the formula 1 world champion racer. >> there are very little friendship between racers because there's only respect or no respect. we fight each other like crazy. >> rose: ron howard and nicki lauda when we continue. stra captioning sponsored by rose communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose.

>> rose: ron howard is here. he is an oscar-winning filmmaker. his new movie "rush" re@s a 1970 formula one rivalry between james hunt and his austrian opponent niki lauda. critics are calling it one of ron howard's personal best. here is the trailer for the film. >> you've changed, haven't you? >> yeah. >> who's that? >> it's nicki laud dashgs he's just been signed by ferrari. >> really? >> he's driving like an old man. >> what's the incentive? why would i go fast? >> because i'm asking you to.

>> this is an incredible battle between these two great drivers! >> i know, i'm terrible. >> no, you're not terrible, it's just who you are at this point in your life. >> to be a champion it takes more than being quick. you have to really believe it. >> i've been ready for this my whole life. >> i can beat this guy, trust me. >> he's consistent, dependable. >> can he put his life on the line the day it matters? >> this is the racing grudge match of the decade. >> world champion niki lauda trapped in a searing inferno of 800 plus degrees. >> talk to me, >> there are not many men willing to kill themselves driving in circles looking for

normality. >> what did your wife say when she saw your face? >> she said you don't need a face to drive, you just need your right foot. >> i feel responsible for what happens. >> i was watching those races, i was fighting for my life. we were equally responsible for getting me back in the car. >> 42 days after his near fatal accident niki lauda will race here today. >> more powerful than the fear of death is the will to win. >> rose: you had a great pleasure to go and do a profile for "60 minutes." there's something different, i grew up in north carolina amidst nascar. there's something different about formula 1. what is it?

>> well, it's technology pushed to its limits. whereas with nascar they hold pit back a little bit. everything is about being on the limit and the demands on the vehicle and therefore the skills of the drivers are different. but for me it was interesting because it's a story of achievement. it's kind of an inspiring story in a very unexpected way. in fact, as i was saying before we started i think -- "rush" probably surprises audience in a positive way. not because of the twists and turns in the story-- although there are some-- but no one quite knows what to expect in the film and they always come out feeling, you know, -- the reaction has been as good as any movie that i've had. >> rose: reaction has been as good to any movie you've had? >> yeah. >> rose: we're talking "a brilliant mind" "apollo 13." >> when people see it. i think people are sort of thrilled by the -- you know, the

-- how involving the characters are. it's not just one thing, it's not just racing. but for me it was a very different movie in as much as it was about singular, driven individuals. they weren't doing it for family home and country. and, you know, it was an interesting personal exploration for me becauseive a lot of drive. i don't think of in the terms of competition literally but -- and i don't think of myself as putting my life on the line but that sort of needing to fulfill something and it's the learning curve, the process that goes along with that journey. i think that's another thing that surprises audiences is the emotional nature of what these guys go through and what they gain as much as what they lose. >> rose: tell me about the two characters. not the actors but the two

characters. first, niki lauda. >> well, niki lauda was kind of on the vanguard of the modern athlete as entrepreneur, as businessman. he was there to win. of course he loves racing, of course he understands speed and was willing to take those risks but much more calculated man. once he retired he became a tremendous businessman. built and sold two airlines. commercial airlines on his own. remarkable guy who i was lucky enough to get to know. a champion. a true champion. a three-time champion. but james hunt was almost a throwback to the gentlemen champion. the british -- the sort of geniuses, gifts individuals who kind of can't -- they can't ever let you see them sweat but underneath it he was a paradox. he was as driven as anyone. he would throw up before races. he was an intense womanizer.

a party animal of the '70s ilk, more of a surfer rock star on the circuit. but people who knew him said the drive to win, the drive to achieve. and as this rivalry started to take shape between he and lauda, the need for this to be the year took over everything. and what's really interesting -- >> rose: why was it this year? 1976? >> 1976 season. this was the defining year, in a way, for each individual but it also -- when you look at the whole story you just think, well it's another year of competition but when you look at their individual stories there's a lot going on personally for each of them away from the track. lauda got married for the first time. gave himself over to the idea that, you know, that there could be something else in life other than just success. he also went through a horrific accident, made a remarkable comeback that's one of the most inspirational in sports. james hunt was this playboy that no one took very seriously and

suddenly things were falling into place this year. but then this supermodel he was married to ran off with richard burton. and in the middle of this year he tried to make light of it but it affected everything. so it was an unbelievably dramatic year. peter morgan, great screen writer who i know you know very well, discovered the story and wanted to make it -- >> rose: when he first brought it to you did you say "i get it." >> totally. even though i'm not a sports fan i understand the drama of it. i knew that the sport could be cool and more than anything for me directorially, sin matally challenging. new territory. not just as an exercise. but to carry the psychology of those characters on to the track, that's where the cinematography was going to have to operate at a different level. hans zimmer's score was going to be vital. and yet given the fact that this is not a studio movie, it's an indy movie. financed in europe. >> rose: $30 million i've read. but a lot different than "angels

and demons." >> absolutely. and so i get my first taste of that -- >> rose: how did it taste? >> creatively it was incredibly liberating because i wanted a german-speaking actor to play niki lauda who would speak fluently and at every opportunity use the language same way the woman who was going to play the love interest and there was no pushback from the studio. we didn't have to get a box office star. i wanted to take a chance on chris hemsworth. i felt like he was right. >> rose: he tested and blew it -- blew the doors off. >> he made an audition on his own to sort of proof he had the chops because there was a kind of "raging bull" what quality to hunt, those paradoxes and he was remarkable. and now -- look, as i said, it t audiences have enjoyed it, it's -- you know, it's been great. but now we'll also see as we sort of roll into what promises

to be kind of an amazing awards season-- just as a fan the movies out there are stunning but we won't have a studio awards budget. we don't have anybody. we're nobodys now. >> rose: you can't promote it. >> it will be interesting to see now -- we'll be a part of the narrative of, well, what does -- you know, how does the movie like "rush" possibly fit in? the reviews have been terrific. it's too early to tell, charlie, of course, because we haven't seen all the movies, no one has. and it promises to be just a banner year. but for me it's been really fascinating learning experience. >> rose: i was fascinated to see universal, your home, turned it down. >> well, look, it's not an overtly commercial movie and, you know, it's done very well -- >> rose: that's rock and roll. competetion? >> it's done very well internationally. here in the u.s., for an indy movie it's done great. it's done better than

"frost/nixon." it's done better than, say, "milk." "hurt locker." a lot of esteemed movies. but it didn't jump and become a multiplex blockbuster. >> rose: is this the kind of thing you want to come back to so that, among all the things you do, you'll make movies that do not have expensive budgets but tell great stories? >> creatively i'm at a point in my life where i have the luxury of saying "i'm going tackle the things i love." i fell in love with this. i related to it in ways i think surprised people and maybe even surprised myself. >> rose: answer this question, then: was their ambition, expressed as it was, not how it's expressed but what you know is deep inside them any different than the ambition you have to make great movies? >> i mean, i don't -- >> rose: steps you would take to make a great movie? >> if i had decided that my form of expression was racing i would

-- i think i would compete the way they competed. and when you love something and you've also decided that it -- in some way it defines you, you know, i think you're going to go at it that way. and i was -- it was very interesting to -- i don't know that i would choose that field. >> rose: but it somehow spoke to you, the competition and pursuit of excellence. >> i relate more to lauda and the more methodical. >> rose: lauda was more you? >> yeah, definitely. may be good for my 38 year marriage. (laughter) >> rose: i loved the racing. the cameras on their helmets. it's like what it feels to be in the car. >> rose: well, the important thing was to carry the psychology that peter morgan was giving us in these great scenes on to the track.

the cinematographer won the award a few years ago for "slum dog millionaire." very bold, innovative guy. uses technology in ways that i'd never witnessed before. but works from a very psychological place and he and i were really in sync with trying to, you know, really transport audiences. and yet, you know, i used every modern directorial tool in existence to try to make it look like it was a documentary. >> rose: what does lauda think? >> lauda has been very, very positive about the movie. it was -- he's not the kind of guy that looks back but he knew peter morgan. he sat for interviews with peter morgan. he answered technical questions. he didn't have any editorial control at all but he also cooperated with daniel bruhl who's remarkable, the german actor who didn't happen to be a movie star. daniel bruhl who we know from

"inglorious basterds." >> rose: he played the sniper. >> it's a tremendous performance and i knew he had that courage because lauda is a very complex character. not entirely winning. >> rose: and didn't care. he knew you didn't like him. >> and both guys shared this thing. this is another theme or element that i like is that both men are loved. if james hunt isn't with us anymore. >> rose: he died at age 45. >> yeah. well he lived fast. but there's an integrity in that there was never any hypocrisy about the way they chose to live. now, whether people operating that way in this day in age could navigate the media. >> rose: and they both respected each other because they stuck to their own music. their own guns. >> and they were both -- you know, and they were two talented individuals and i think you --

as peter morgan says you have to sometimes -- you sort of have to sort of love somebody. if they're truly a rival there's an admiration. >> rose: if the two of them were head to head-- both healthy, both have the same cars-- who would win? in ten races, would who would win the most? >> they both would say they would win. niki would say he would win because technically he was so meticulous about achieving everything point, every advantage. so over the long haul-- and that's why he went on to be a three-time champion. >> rose: and a successful businessman. >> he would retire, he would come back, he'd still win. he's a winner. on any given day james could blow away anyone and niki would tell you that. >> rose: because he would take more risks? >> if it would click and everything was working he would take all the risks. peter morgan did a great thing

with the script in that -- and it's one of the things that attracted me to it when i read it and directorially i tried to apply it to the races is that even though they didn't love the sport they began understanding -- >> rose: peter did? >> peter morgan as sort of the science of the overtake in formula one which is different than nascar. it's something you have to wait for. >> rose: how do you get around the car. >> right. and he tried to define their lives. he didn't just interview some people and throw the facts together, he was able to design a narrative that is a serious overtaking. i think it's another thing that really surprises audience is that, you know, you never quite see what's coming next. >> rose: what's amazing to me also is here is a guy who can calculate, lauda. he took a risk and he said he wanted to get out of a race because he thought the risk was too great. too damn high to continue so he

pulls out. >> well, again, he was a -- he always thought, i think in the long term and a great overview and hunt was forever in the moment, whether he was on the track, whether he was in a club, whether he was home, wherever he was, very gifted man and, as i said, both entirely authentic. >> rose: so niki lauda realizes he's beginning to find some comfort being married to his wife. he pulls away from it. >> there's a great scene where it scares him because he says "now there's something to lose. something to live for and therefore to lose." the relationships in the movie, alexandra maria lara and also olivia wilde who plays james hunt's wife susie who runs off with richard burton -- >> rose: they get married and go to switzerland. >> yeah.

so important because it was our chance to see these drivers away from the track and go further in terms of defining it as a character study. an inspirational true story, not just a sports movie. >> rose: how long did hunt race after he won the championship? >> i think it was another year and a half and, look, there's so much about these guys lives that you know, it's fascinating. i could have done three or four years of cable network television just on that season alone. there's so many twists and turns a friend died in hunt's arms a year and a half after he won the championship and i think that, you know, he had -- i think he'd done the thing he wanted to do. >> rose: win the world championship. >> prove that he was much more than anyone expected. >> rose: take a look at this. this is a clip in which hunt and

lauda answer press questions. here it is. >> do you think you can cope with the pressure? >> i've never really understood what that means. i love my job. i love competing. i love racing. maybe you should ask niki, he's the world champion, he's got everything to lose. >> mr. lauda, are you feeling fresh injury? >> do i look like i'm feeling pressure? i'm world champion and on the verge to become world champion gwen. it's not so easy to become a champion. you have to really believe it to make it possible. >> james, is there anything you'd like to add. >> if niki is being tricky and getting a kicky out of playing mind games, fine, i'm flattered. the fact is momentum is with me. i've never felt better. i fully expect the next press conference will have me as world champion. >> you asked me about what lauda felt about the movie and he's not the kind of person that looks back very much so the

first time it was hard for him even though he thought it was very authentic and later he faced a lot of things because what his character goes through is painful to recall. but you know what he said the last time i saw him? he said "i'm really sorry james isn't here to see the movie. -the-would love this movie and it would be fun to see it with him." and for a guy who's so straightforward, so businesslike about everything, it was unexpectedly touching thing. >> rose: what was the relationship like after that famous season? after '76? >> you know they were always friendly rivals but i don't think they saw much of each other but when they did, once they'd gone through that, once the press wasn't writing about them being rivals, once everyone wasn't pitting them against each other and they didn't feel the need to pit themselves niki -- niki raced the next year, wasn't champion and then retired. having said that he never entirely lost his fear of the horrible crash he went through in the '76 season.

and then came back to it a few years later and was champion it again. by that time james was out of racing. >> rose: this was one of those movies in which as soon as you get home you go google everybody involved because you want to see it again and no more, what is it really like. and to see lauda, he looked almost -- there's a certain resemblance, a, because of the disfigurement that has taken place in the fire. >> also, you know, he has a -- they used to call him the rat. james called time rat and he had buck teeth. dan yule bruhl doesn't have those but we gave him those. but the movie was an adventure and the cinematographer used all kinds of cameras. you talked about cameras tucked into amazing places, places where you -- i was trying to create an expressive connection between the drivers, the road, the cars. but, you know, we're going to talk in a minute about cannon but -- cannon wound up playing a

role in our movie. it had nothing to do with project imagination. >> rose: which was? >> as i said, todd mantle has always been very experimental and the newer professional cannon models wound up being the solution to a lot of our problems in terms of the flexibility, on the go, working on a tight budget, tight schedule, getting the cameras into difficult places and they were a real workhorse. we used all kind of cameras. >> rose: they shoot movies on them. television series. >> half of the sun dance movies are -- have been made on cannons for years and cannon has moved more rapidly into working with professional cinematographers, working with filmmakers and trying to move into that area and they've done it very, very successfully and very quickly. >> rose: do you like doing stories in which you find a great story that's real you go

beyond imagination and you're given things because live is more interesting than imagination. >> rose: you couldn't instlent story. >> one of the things is they'd say it is the creation of peter morgan's mind. >> i'm fascinated by it. i've always loved history. when i was in high school wondering if i would ever make it past the transition from child actor into getting to fulfill my dream of being a director i thought, well, if not i'll be a journalist. so i've always had -- >> rose: that's our loss. >> or a high school basketball coach. so many days when i'm out there working on a script with a bunch of cranky actors i feel like i'm doing both jobs now. >> rose: (laughs) >> but -- so i do gravitate towards that. by the same token, i've enjoyed the fantasy's i've made and i think i confuse some people, maybe fans to a degree, maybe to a larger decree some critics who wonder if there's a stamp or something that if he want to find a continuity and i -- it's -- you know, it's me following my curiosity. in the same way you wouldn't

want to interview the same kinds of guests or do the same stories for "60 minutes" week in and week out, i'm fascinated to make a fantasy or a comedy and dedicate a year or so to that and turn around and find a true story that's meaningful and have the credibility within the creative community and the fans to be given license to have that range. >> rose: have you made a false step at all? should you have not made a movie that you've made? >> there are none of them i would throw back even though some of them have lost money, some of them have been reviewed poorly and some of them i see as problematic. but they've all yielded experiences. and given where i am in my life and how pleased i am with the journey and how much enthusiasm i have for what i'm looking ahead to, i'd be afraid to erase anything. maybe it would be like "it's a wonderful life" or something, it

would all go long. maybe some of the lessons you learned making mistakes as we've always been told are the more important ones. and so i think i'd rather have that -- i'm comfortable with not feeling every decision is sort of a life/death thing. i feel like i'm on a -- just a sort of a creative journey. that's my career, that's my way of life. and i want to take leaps and there are liable to be some mistakes made operating that way. but it's -- there's something liberating about it as well. >> rose: let me take down a couple things you're doing. back to the question of bruhl. did you show his performance in "rush" or something or his audition so he got another job? what was that story? >> he didn't even audition for "rush." i just knew he'd work. i met him and believed in him. and -- but early on i showed

some cut scenes to steven spielberg and the folks at dreamworks and which helped him get a role in "fifth estate." i did the same thing with chris hemsworth on a movie michael mann cast him in. my pleasure. but in both instances i was thrilled that the actors could use it as a sort of showcase and i'm working with chris hemsworth again on a movie called "heart of the sea" for warner brothers. it's a project, in fact, chris brought to me. another really challenging acting role for him. and a pleasure. i hope i get to work with daniel bruhl again. and the courage both actors showed and, frankly, what they achieved, again, working quickly. but working hard and well. i'm very proud of them. >> rose: congratulations. >> thanks. >> rose: niki lauda is here. he is a three-time formula 1 world champion.

he's also a living legend in racing. in 196 his rivalry with britain's james hunt fascinated fans around the world midway through the championship he was trapped in a burning car for almost a minute and returned to racing only 42 days later. his comeback has been called one of the most heroic acts in the history of sports. the story of that thrilling year in formula 1 racing has been turned into a film by oscar-winning director ron howard. i'm pleased to have niki lauda at that this table for the first time. he is not only a great champion but a man of great courage it's a pleasure to talk about racing and courage, welcome. james hunt said "the closer you are to death, the more alive you feel." was that just james hunt or do you feel that? >> no, no, no. it was the same for everybody, basically. because the risk in these days was that every year at least one or two one of us got killed and

there had been 18 at the race so you could work it out yourself when i know it's your turn. so it was a completely different challenge, very dangerous and you have to stay alive. the fight really was to win races, go to the edge but stay alive. >> rose: and most of those drivers got killed because the machine broke down or they went too close to the edge and over the edge? >> it is very simple to explain. both. driver's errors. i remember a french driver got killed right in front of me in his lane when he hit the curb and the car turned left and he went through the guardrail. so sometimes it's the cars, sometimes driving errors. >> rose: the other thing he said was that -- you said you have to be quick quick sometimes is thought of as a word -- a synonym for speed, but is it speed or is it something else,

the definition of quick? >> definition of quick is to go fast around in circles with these racing cars because if you look at today, the the quick zest winning four world championships in a row. >> just won this weekend in austin. >> that means do the job right and be the best and win. this is formula 1 language. >> he's very talented. rossback, alonzo, some young guys coming up but they are the top guys. so if you put them all in the same car they will do the same qualifying times. if they're in different cars, then vettel can win four championships in the a row and the others have to fight to

catch up with the technical part of the car. make it quicker, make it last and be as quick. over the last these cars in the circuits got so safe around with one of areas that nobody can mitt anything like i did in the past formula 1 developed -- in a very nice better way. so the vettels of today and rossbergs, they don't to worry about what i had to worry about, stay alive. so they can drive, they can have accidents and nothing will happen. this is the big difference. >> rose: do you have any regrets about your racing career? >> no. i would do everything again. >> rose: everything? >> well, the accident --. >> rose: of course you would not have that. >> i would prefer to keep my ear. but generally speaking, no, i have no regrets. >> rose: not from running the final race in 1976, pulling out of it? no regret there is? >> no regrets at all because if i would not have had the

accident i might have had this little extra reserve you need to drive in these dreadful conditions where the circuit was flooded and it was impossible to race. >> rose: couldn't see in front of you. >> couldn't see but i was also the speaker of the drivers for safety. i was always looking after accidents i'd been there myself when somebody got killed to understand what happened and what needs to be done to the circuit. move the guardrail if something falls off and i was part of this all the time. so when the fuji race, the last one was on, the circuit was completely flooded. for two hours there was no race whatsoever and then finally when they ran the business they said it's the first time it's worldwide television coverage. at 4:00 we have to start the race because at 6:00 it's dark. the rain was the same. so i said are you crazy?

and then i said i'm not stupid to do this. >> rose: you started and then you pulled out. >> i had to start because of the prize money for ferrari. it was the legal reason to do one lap. but there were five other drivers who did the same as i did. they did not race. but james hunt did. fought his try the end. finished third. >> rose: made him world champion. >> and by one point beat me. >> rose: what did james hunt teach you about him in what he did in that race? >> nothing, really, because he did everything wrong you could do. you can see hit in the movie. he was going out and -- on the rain tires too long and destroyed them. then he came in seven laps before the end with the tires completely finished. so i would have been more clever. >> rose: (laughs) >> i would have driven not so long and -- >> rose: you would have come in earlier? >> correct. and he didn't do all that but in

the end -- >> rose: why do you think he didn't do it? >> because he was maybe not shown by his pit crew what to do and he was crazy fighting his way through traffic and getting there and he lost track and it would have been better if he'd come in earlier. nevertheless he did a perfect job. there are very little friendships between racing drivers because there's only respect or no respect because we fight each other like crazy but in the end james won in that particular year the championship. i was happy it was him and not somebody else if i couldn't do it. >> rose: but he, in fact, said i wish we could have shared this and it would have been nice because of the respect he had for you. >> i had the big accident. i lost nearly my life and three races. then he beat me by one point. because at the beginning of the season i was dominating everything, winning six races out of eight. so everything was going fine and then the accident came and

stopped it. >> rose: you remember nothing about the accident? >> no, because it is very simple. it was explained by the doctors, because i hit so hard the helmet fell off therefore i have all these burns and it closes up, your brain, and you have no idea what happened. so i remember going out of the pits after a tire change in that race and then everything stops, then i go another 10 clocker thes, then i have the accident. i've seen it like you did in television because the little boy was standing there in the woods filming it, otherwise i would have had no idea. and the first thing i remember was when i was in a helicopter. >> rose: the first thing you remember? >> i still see the guy sitting next to me with his bottle until a white dress and i said "where are we going?" he said "to manheim." i said "how long?"

"he said 45 minutes." then i remember. >> rose: how much pain? >> the pain honestly i cannot tell you because the pain because of all this threat i had to die, i don't remember the pain. you burn all your hair off. >> rose: you burned all up here. >> you have pain but this was not this is not the bad memory. the bad memory is, for example, they talk to me, the doctors, i could listen to them because they didn't know that i was listening and they said "give f you give him oxygen, he's going to be dead." and i thought this is not good news. then they came up with this vacuum pump and pumped out my lung the. and one alarming thing for me was that the nurse asked me "do you want the priest?" and then nothing happened.

and then i felt something on my should cher happens a lot of times when they pass by you. and then suddenly i realize head already gave me last rites, touching me here. he didn't talk to me and i thought at least that if there's god that he would say "niki, can i help you?" then i really got upset because of this not talking to me. then i said to myself, no, i'm not going to die. i'm going to fight to stay alive. >> rose: and then you were determined to get back on the track as fast as possible? >> there was first the principle decision do you want to come back or not? because that's what i had to worry about and then to me it was logical. i always knew the risk of putting myself into then i said i was lucky to stay alive actually. because before you raced in these days you really is to think about it. do you want to take the chance to kill yourself for being,

let's say, a challenge for winning races which is an interesting thing to do. do you want to take the chance or not? i said yes, i want to take the chance and before i came back i said do you still want to take the chance after the accident? i said yes because this was part of my driving. then i said, yes, i want to do it. and then it's for me, but it was essential to do it as quick as you can because as long as you wait, the more worried you gets you lose all your power to do it and this was for me important. yes i want to come back in the earliest moment. i can do it. >> rose: when you got in the car what did you feel? >> it was very easy to explain because i went toe the test circuit of ferrari, you might know, and i tried a car there to see if the helmet hurts my ear and here -- the biggest burn was here where they forgot to put some skin on. and driving with all these

movements really hurt me. so i checked to f this i can handle and feel around and everything was fine. i talked to ferrari and i said i want to go back and do a comeback. and then he said to me there, you know, niki, it's better you wait another race. >> rose: this was enzo? >> enzo ferrari. "wait another race because if you lose the championship it doesn't look that bad." then i really got upset again because i was fighting back to get in his car to win races for him and then he's telling me to stay home and wait another race because of the championship. then i said no. the reason he said to me was he already employed another driver, an argentinean. but they never thought i was going to come back. and then i came on thursday, normal, i had my doctor with me and everything to see if i can do everything right and then the

italian authorities came and said "you have to do a medical check go. to the hospital in milan because we have to see if you're able to drive." and i had certificates that i can. and for six hours they checked me up and down and forwards and backwards. the for me it was a lot of pressure and i didn't need the extra aggravation. and therefore i was born out thursday night. friday morning a practice for the pre-start, i go in the car, i put in the second gear, i go to drive out of the pits and couldn't do it. i was so frightened that suddenly everything came over me, the accident and whatever and i physically could not drive the car. so i drove very slowly back into the pits, frightened like hell and i said to myself "what the hell is going on now?" then i had to get out of the car because i couldn't get myself going, went back to the hotel and thought about it, what do i do wrong?

in the morning i got up and said i'll come back now for saturday practice which is the final practice for the race and come here as if there's no problem. just drive for myself, drive as if there's no grand prix. get the feeling on the car. don't watch the other times, people putting pressure on you, go quicker and this. just do whatever you think is right for yourself. so i went out no pressure, didn't look at any other people's times. practice was over, i was quick in ferrari or fourth and fifth in the group. so then i said, okay. and then it slowly started to come back into the old speed and risk. it took me two or three races then i was more or less back up. >> rose: and then you won. >> then i won again. >> rose: but here's the point. your extraordinary wife who we'll see in the film and your wife in real life looks very much like the actress who plays

your wife. she really does. >> before the accident you had this attitude i can't care about anything because all i care about is winning and everything that makes me care for more that than winning is bad for me. that's a terrible philosophy, isn't it? >> that's racing! the. >> rose: but after the fact you had something you lived for, your life, and her >> i have to say, i was a very egocentric animal. >> rose: exactly. >> you've been generous to yourself, not as hard as you should be. >> pressure we all shad we have to stay alive. so the risk was high, so whatever disturbs you in concentration to make a mistake and try to get rid of.

so when it came to the races there was no wife, no children, no dog, nothing i was simply concentrating. i lived a little bit the life of james. >> rose: how would you describe that life? >> james' life was that from seven days, five days he went out. drinking, women, and really had the life he wanted also because of the risk involved. >> in other words, he had that life because he lived in the moment because he knew any moment he could die. >> but the point was he did it all through the week. i only did it monday, tuesday, wednesday. but this was the time it was. so when i had the accident i had to go through all the things you just mentioned and marlene mention said to me "you are a much better guy now.

you are open." >> rose: she was right. >> she was right. so it improved 30% of my egocentric approach. if. >> rose: didn't you come back the next year and win the world championship? >> i won again, retired for two years, came back again for another four years and won the third championship. >> rose: that was in the '80s? >> yes. >> rose: why did you stop? >> i was interested to start an airline. i was a commercial pilot. i learned to fly while racing and then i wanted to see a comeback which was nice to try. after two years not running i won long beach won another championship and then i went to my business life running airlines. >> rose: and were successful. and snowed >> today i'm charge in a whole

group of modern sports for the engines of the formula 1 cars. >> rose: you're in charge of the mercedes car? >> i'm the chairman of the board and i was part of getting everything away from mc claire ren and i go to all the races to see them moving forward and in a moment it's going very well. >> rose: let's show some clips. this is from -- this is showing you returning to the race. >> niki lauda, just 42 days after his near fatal accident will race here today against all medical advice and no doubt in incredible pain. (speaking italian) >> the returning niki lauda is

overwhelmed. he's passing car after car. (speaking italian) >> lauda's flying on the the grass! he wrestles it back on to the track but that was a bad moment for niki. niki lauda's the reigning world champion but maybe in his current state he's a danger throughout to himself and to the rest of the field. he's collided with mario andretti! niki's boxed in! (speaking italian) >> rose: so when you came back

there, what did it feel like? you just -- i mean as the announcer said, they were worried whether you had it or whether you might be a danger to other drives. >> i'll tell you one things which not shown in the movie. i was first quickest, so right there where i should be. and all the time before this race there was the start of the race, there was the course, went up the steps and hit the flag going up and down and then the race was started. and i had a special trick in these days when i went to the course and hello, i'm niki lauda how are you? show me how you start the race? what do you mean? so how do you start the race? so if the guy went up and right down with the flag i didn't have to wait and i could go. if the guy went up and hold the flag i'd say ooh, i have to be careful. so this race i remember very well i came to the break, put it out of gear and look for the guy. and unfortunately it was stopped

while i was in the hospital because they introduced the start and i didn't know. nobody told me. >> rose: the land start? >> yeah, and there was a red and green light which i saw too late. then i was out of gear, the green light came on, i food gear and everybody passed me. so this race was particularly difficult for me because i had to work my way through traffic again and therefore it was shown like this. in. >> rose: now is the film remarkably authentic in your judgment? >> yes, it is very much so. peter morgan who wrote the script is famous on this. and this is the way basically it all started and he asked me questions in vienna before he started the script and then he always said to me "it's going to be a hollywood movie. you tell me but i'm responsible for the outcome." and i have to say he did it very accurate what i told him not to make a hollywood movie.

you really stick to the facts of life. >> rose: behe had a lot of -- he had right there in the real story a great story. he didn't have to make anything up. >> no, it's very accurate. i was amazed because i never saw the movie when it was built. they only showed me some short -- showed four things when he wrote something in his home. t when the movie was out it was the first time i saw it. >> rose: so what's the status of formula 1 today? >> status of formula 1 today is still going up. grand prix now in the state it's going to be more known. >> rose: austin, texas. >> austin, texas. but formula 1, worldwide coverage is incredible today and the races are televised so it's doing very good. >> rose: as you know, nascar has put certain restrictions on the speed of its cars. should formula 1 do the same thing? >> no, because formula 1 is technically much more advanced than any kind of racing here. the cars are -- have sensors,

they're expensive cars. in america they've tried to make it simple and easier but formula 1 technically it's under the head of the racing over here. >> rose: and everyday and every season they're trying to make the car faster and faster and faster. >> rose: because there are rules and regulation which is restrict them sometimes because when guy in too quick like tires or whatever then the f.i.a., who is in charge of the whole sport says we have to be careful now. and the safety put into circuits are made for from certain speeds so if they suddenly go 50 kilometers quicker it's going to be bad again. so in the moment it's under control. >> rose: so if you're on a country road in europe, alone, do you drive fast? >> yes. >> rose: (laughs) >> there's radar everywhere, police everywhere. it's difficult. >> rose: just say "i'm niki

lauda." >> sometimes i get away with it. >> rose: you like the movie? >> >> the reaction of people is very important. when i saw in the london i was thinking i'd like to sit in the back and watch the people how they like it. it seems to be very well received. >> rose: let's talk about speed on the track. this is an interview i did with michael schumacher for "60 minutes" back in i don't know when. take a look at this because he's talking about the danger of formula 1. here it is, michael schumacher. >> nobody wants to die. everybody wants to live. we don't do it for the thrill of the danger, we do it for the thrill of speed and being on the limit but not really wanting to go off and have an accident. >> rose: you agree with that? >> absolutely. >> rose: i still come back to this moment.

you got your vehicle within your own control. what tells you how close you can go before you spin snout >> well, that's a good question and it's simple to explain. in my times there were guardrails anywhere so now you can't do anything, there's nothing you can hit. so there are corners where you go 320 kilometers through a corner. and the closer you can get with the speed going into the corner you end up at the exit either in the guardrail or away from the guardrail. so you have to take a decision before entering the corner how close you're going to go and if you want to go quick you have to end up ten centimeters off the guardrail. if you're going slower, you're one meter away from the guardrail but then your lap time isn't right. and this is the challenge to drive always on the limit and know exactly where the limit is, right at the edge. not to hit but go quicker than

all the other guys. this is the same problem of today but the only difference the the danger. >> rose: and no matter how good you are sometimes you'll miscalculate and go into the -- >> if you go a little bit too quick you kill yourself. and this was the problem at my time. so therefore you really have to know what you're doing. it's easy to go slow into the corner because then you don't a risk. then somebody will pass you. so the question was to be right on the edge. w your talent and your risk you want to take. you have to take a lot of risk. and this was the challenge to find the right way in the middle to be quick enough and stay alive. >> rose: it's been a remarkable life for you. your parents, your family were successful in business. they didn't want you to be in a race car. they wanted you to be in business. they said to you i guess early on-- this is in the film-- "we

don't want you on the sports page, we want you on the business page." >> my grandfather hated all this. he was my biggest enemy because he was trying to force me to stay in the family business which i didn't like. my parents were different. they were a little easier and they never really liked racing all together. when i got more successful they just looked more positively but it's not their life-style. >> rose: so as i look for the lesson of niki lauda's life, what would it be? >> the lesson is for me simply learn a sport, don't think about gray areas i hate gray areas either in business or sport or whatever. black and white. make up your mind and if something goes wrong in your business in your sport, first find the fault in yourself. don't blame somebody else. because the most easy thing-- and this will change in the

beginning but i said i have the excuse book, what's the excuse book? >> you can look up -- if your race has failed it's the gear books, it's the shock absorber, the engine. you need this. i said are you crazy? with an excuse book you get nowhere. find the problem really and most of the time it's in yourself look in yourself first. analyze exactly what you did right or wrong and then get your people or your racing under control with with your own ideas to make it better. >> rose: it's black and white? >> for me everything is black and white. i hate gray areas. >> rose: it's a pleasure to meet you niki. thank you for coming. the niki lauda, the film is called "rush" directed by ron howard. captioning sponsored by rose communications captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

explore new worlds and new ideas through programs like this, made available for everyone through contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. welcome to classical rewind. i'm martin goldsmith, and this is my music. tonight we're going to take you back with some real oldies from the 16th and 17th centuries. we'll meet many of the great masters and tell their stories. i promise you an exhilarating ride. along the way you're likely to hear melodies that you know but perhaps you don't know why. tonight meet the masters, next on pbs. ♪