Who is Niki Lauda’s ex-wife Marlene Knaus? Her Wiki: Age, Married, Divorce, Net Worth, Children, Story

• Marlene Knaus was the first wife of Formula One champion Niki Lauda
• Little is known about her life before meeting Niki, but she was a cover model in the 70s
• She became popular through her marriage to Niki and followed him to races around the world
• They divorced in 1991 due to Niki's extra-marital affair, and she received a large sum in the settlement
• She remains single, while Niki has remarried and has two children with his new wife



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Who is Marlene Knaus?

Austrian born Marlene Knaus was the first wife of the famous Formula One champion, Niki Lauda. Unfortunately, her birthplace and birth date remain unknown to the media, but we will try to bring you closer to the life of the lesser-known, now ex-wife of Niki Lauda.

Life Before Marlene Met Niki Lauda

Marlene’s life before she and Niki met remains a mystery to the media – there is no information in regards to her childhood, parents, and siblings. However, in the ‘70s Marlene started her rise to prominence, firstly as a cover model for a number of high profile magazines, which gave her star status in her native Austria. Many wanted to be Marlene, and many wanted to be with Marlene, but…she captured the heart of Niki Lauda.

First Meeting with Niki Lauda

It was in the ‘70s that the two met; no precise details of how, but it’s known that Niki at the time had a girlfriend with whom he was with for around eight years. Be that as it may, Niki broke up with his then-girlfriend and commenced a romantic relationship with Marlene.

Popularity Through Marriage

Marlene would follow Niki around the world during the Formula One seasons, which made their relationship stronger. After several years of dating, the couple decided to tie the knot in 1976 – it was the year when Niki was involved in a serious crash at the Nürburgring during the German Grand Prix, in which he was trapped in his vehicle that went off the track, hit an embankment and burst into flames. Luckily, Niki survived the crash but was left with burns over his face that have scarred him for life. Since then, he always wears a hat to cover some of the scared area. The couple remained married until 1991 when they decided to divorce. Sadly, no details about the reason for the divorce were ever stated, though the two have remained quite good friends since then, and often spend vacations together at Ibiza, Spain. Her marriage to Niki made her rather popular with the public, despite the fact that she decided to be a support to her husband and a mother to their children, instead of chasing her own career. She was quite a successful model, and was considered a fashion icon in the late ’60s and early ’70s before marrying Niki Lauda.

Divorce and Life After Divorce

Although the reason for their divorce was never made public, it was discovered that Niki had an extra-marital affair, and fathered a son. Niki has remarried in 2008 to Birgit Wetzinger, who is 30 years younger than him. They have twins together, a boy and a girl. Marlene has lived a quiet life in Ibiza, Spain, away from the public eyes. She is still single.

Marlene Knaus Children

Marlene and Niki have two sons together, Mathias born in 1981, who has followed in his father’s footsteps and is now a racer himself, but instead of Formula One is racing for Aston Martin Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Lucas, who is Mathias’ manager. Unfortunately, Mathias hasn’t have much success in the racing industry.

Marlene Knaus Net Worth

Following her marriage to Niki, Marlene didn’t pursue a career of her own, and instead focused on supporting her husband and raising children. However, once the divorce was final, Marlene’s efforts paid off. She gained a massive amount from the divorce since Lauda already had wealth of close to $100 million. So, have you ever wondered how rich Marlene Knaus is, as of mid- 2018? According to authoritative sources, Marlene’s net worth is as high as $43 million.

Marlene Knaus Ex-Husband, Niki Lauda

Now that we have covered all the most important information about Marlene, let’s share a few details about Niki Lauda. Born Andreas Nikolaus “Niki” Lauda on the 22nd February 1949, in Vienna, Austria, he is now considered one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers. His parents were against his dreams, nevertheless, he followed his desire for speed. During his career that lasted from 1971 until 1985, he won three Championship titles, but he is the only driver to win the Championship while driving for two top constructor teams, Ferrari, and McLaren. Aside from Formula One, Niki is a businessman and entrepreneur, having launched two airlines, Lauda Air and Niki. Currently, he serves as a pundit for German TV during Grand Prix weekends, and is also a non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, of which he owns 10%.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia