Birgit Wetzinger is an Austrian art gallery owner better known as the wife of the late Niki Lauda, a Formula 1 driver and aviation businessman. Wetzinger and Lauda were together from the late 2000s until Niki’s death in 2019. Birgit’s now deceased partner, Lauda, was a three-time F1 Grand Prix winner, in 1975, 1977 and 1984.
People often admire Birgit for sticking with Niki through thick and thin from the time the late Grand Prix racer was one of the big names in his life after the near-death accident in 1976.
Get a comprehensive look into her life more or less from the point where she entered Niki Lauda’s life, their being together, the final moments when they were husband and wife, Wetzinger’s life after Lauda’s death, and beyond.
What does the internet know about Birgit Wetzinger’s early life?
Wetzinger is reportedly a resident of Vienna and was born in March 1979. The rest, however, in terms of her early life, has been a bit behind the scenes.
Unlike her stories with her late husband and the following, Wetzinger’s earlier wikis are anything but outright discussed.
What else was true so far is that Birgit, who is now 42 years old, was a flight attendant at the time she met her future husband in the mid-2000s. In fact, she was working for Niki’s airline, Lauda Air at the time.
Birgit Wetzinger and Niki Lauda had an age difference of 30 years
When they met in 2004, Witzenger had just turned 29, while the Zurich-born racer was already 59. Rush Niki didn’t meet Birgit when she was hitchhiking.
Instead, they met at a party, after which, Nikki once said, he fell in love with her. However, Lauda took her somewhere shortly after their first meeting.
They met at a party. Birgit didn’t recognize who Niki was. She apparently thought he was a tennis player. Birgit was then working as a flight attendant for Lauda’s airline.
Lauda had launched his airline in 1985, shortly after he retired from racing for the second time. However, the airline ceased operations in April 2013.
The 1975 F1 World Drivers’ Champion revealed in an interview that he was in contact with Birgit straight through her boots† He said this was the first thing that interested him in her.
Nikki said he didn’t know Wetzinger worked for his company.
their wedding
Niki proposed to Wetzinger in Ibiza two months before the wedding in a pizzeria. They tied the knot on 25 August 2008 at half past two in the afternoon in the presence of close family and friends at the Wahring registry office in Vienna.
The businessman/four-wheeler veteran wore a red cap and jeans on his big day. The witnesses include Niki’s longtime lawyer and friend Haig Asenbauer, and some family and friends.
After the wedding, the couple flew to the Balearic island of Ibiza for a week. In fact, the former couple still has a house there. Their marriage reportedly lasted only seven minutes.
While they were together, Niki and Birgit welcomed two children of their own, Mia and Max.
They had twins in September 2009. Besides twins from Birgit, Niki was also father to Mathias and Lukas from his first marriage and a son, Christoph from his third relationship.
Lauda had Mathias and Lukas with his first wife, Marlene Knaus. Marlene and Niki divorced in 1991 after 25 years of marriage. On the other hand, the rider with 177 entries got his son Christoph through an affair he had when he was still Marlene’s husband. Apparently Birgit is also friends with Niki’s ex-wife, Marlene.
Wetzinger donated her kidney to Niki Lauda
In 2005, less than a year after they started dating, Birgit’s then-boyfriend, Lauda, developed kidney failure and needed a replacement. While Lauda asked his son Lucas from his ex-wife Marlene to test his kidney, it didn’t match.
Later Birgit asked for her tissue to be tested to see if she could be a potential donor.
Lauda denied but Wetzinger insisted about three months and finally she would donate her kidney to the ex-winner of the BMW M1 Procar Championship† After that, the operation was successful and three years later they would marry each other.
Niki’s kidney problem was the prolonged aftereffect of his 1976 German Grand Prix, Nürburgring accident where he suffered severe burns to his head in addition to burning his lungs. That’s why he had to undergo two kidney transplants. He also underwent a lung transplant in the summer of 2018.
Death of wife of Birgit Wetzinger
Birgit’s racer husband, Niki Lauda, died at age 70 on May 20, 2019.
He died in the University Hospital of Zurich. Before his death, Birgit’s partner, Lauda, was undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney problems. He was hospitalized after a period of ill health.
Birgit Wetzinger about her husband, the death of Niki Lauda
Birgit did not comment on her husband’s death for about a year.
Then, in an interview with Australian radio station O3, Wetzinger said she couldn’t put into words how much she and her children miss Niki. She said that while the pain of losing the 1972 British Formula 2 winner Niki will always be there, her family didn’t just give up.
She reported that she and her children were slowly trying to get out of the cloud of grief.
Wetzinger also said she and her family sought psychological help to cope with the loss of the 1984 F1 champion.
Of this she stated,
“We are trying to become resilient to this situation and come out of it stronger.”
Wetzinger has a new partner
Wetzinger is currently dating Marcus Sieberer, a financial expert and lawyer. They have apparently been dating since early to mid-2021.
Sieberer also has two children from his previous relationship. Birgit and her current partner Sieberer reportedly met through mutual friends in Ibiza. Wetzinger revealed her relationship with Marcus in late 2021 with radio station O3 and said she and her new boyfriend also have the blessing of her late husband.
What is Birgit Wetzinger doing now?
The late McLaren/Ferrari racer, Niki’s wife, Birgit, now reportedly owns an art gallery in Vienna. Birgit is now the founder of Birgit Lauda Art Foundationa non-profit organization.
Her shop, which she launched in 2017, is an international art gallery focusing mainly on contemporary art in Vienna. She is also the winner of 4future Awards 2018.
Wetzinger says she wants to support both young emerging and international artists through her foundation. She also wants to provide a platform while creating an art space at the same time.
Birgit describes herself as a passionate art lover. She also studied art history in Vienna. The late F1 driver’s wife is also a fan of Otto Zitko and Scheibl. In August 2018, Wetzinger said in an interview with Vienna Contemporary that it was her old fascination with architecture that brought her closer to the arts.
While living in Ibiza with her late husband Niki, the couple analyzed several architectural projects.
She promotes her art gallery through Instagram and others
While Birgit has not yet been spotted with her own anonymous on any locations i.e. Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, she is believed to have been overseeing her art foundation’s Insta handle since mid-2021.
While there are a few posts, Wetzinger’s Instagram feeds mostly feature photos of her art gallery and what happens to her in the meantime. Birgit has nevertheless not shared what her habits outside of work look like in such communities.
How much did Birgit inherit from her husband’s wealth; What is her net worth now?
Wetzinger was part of the beneficiary of the late Niki Lauda’s fortune and estate. For starters, Birgit apparently still has access to Lauda’s approximately $6 million property in Ibiza.
While the details of Lauda’s will have not yet been released, some insiders are alleging that Wetzinger is also one of the heirs to Lauda’s multimillion-dollar fortune, in addition to his real estate, stock and even a yacht.
Birgit is most likely just a rich woman as she also owns an art gallery in Vienna. While it may be a while before outsiders know exactly how much she earned from her late husband’s wealth, it seems plausible that Wetzinger’s net worth could certainly be in the margins of seven or even eight figures.
Other facts
- Birgit’s late husband, Niki Lauda, was also friends and rivals with fellow British Formula 1 champion, James Hunt.
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