Triple world champion Niki Lauda has described the stewards' decision as "the worst judgement in F1 history".

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Now 63, Lauda is considered an elder statesman of a multi-billion-dollar sport.

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What attracted him to the Lauda story was the drama, he said.

FORBES: Ron Howard At Formula 1: 'I'm Not A Car Guy'

Grill owner Mr Gilliam has been an F1 fan since the 1970s, when he followed the likes of Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda.

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Branson revealed former three-time F1 champion Lauda, a fully-trained pilot after owning his own airline, will also learn to fly the Virgin Galactic plane.

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He is McLaren's first world champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999, and joins a club that includes his hero Ayrton Senna and all-time greats Alain Prost and Niki Lauda.

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Recent reports suggest that Sauber, Force India's Swiss-based rival, is for sale and over the past two months Mercedes has offloaded 40% of its team to motorsport entrepreneur Toto Wolff and triple F1 champion Niki Lauda.

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"I grew up in Austria and when I was a child, there were famous Austrian drivers like Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger and a race in Austria, so I had a basic knowledge of the sport, " she said.

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