Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes
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TRUE Lauda & Hunt entered the 1976 German Grand Prix at Nurburgring as prime rivals. Swide
TRUE-ISH Could be a reference to the time Hunt ended up in hospital after crashing his Mini on the roads. He had a beer at a local pub before going to hospital, where he was discharged a week later when the matron caught him in a 'compromising position' with a woman. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p35
TRUE Hunt was known for his love of women & partying. After having shared a flat with Hunt briefly, Lauda famously declared that he (Lauda) enjoyed sex as much as the next man, 'unless that man was James Hunt'. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p31-32
TRUE Hunt did race at Crystal Palace in 1970. Time Magazine
TRUE Hunt threw up before every race, regardless of who he was with or where he was. It was part of his pre-race ritual - nobody knows it if was nerves, excitement, or a hangover. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p25
FALSE Hunt didn't see Lauda at Crystal Palace in 1970, though. Lauda wasn't there. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p25
FALSE Lauda didn't attend this race, & Hunt crashed out. Empire Magazine
FALSE Lauda wasn't present - they didn't race, they didn't meet. Empire Magazine
TRUE Lauda's family didn't mind him tinkering with engines & indulged his hobby, but were angry when they discovered he'd taken part in a race at Muhllacken. His father forbade him from racing ever again. Lauda raced again two weeks later & years of estrangement followed. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p17
TRUE Lauda was able to get bank loans based on his family name, made plans to use the cash to buy his way in, since he wasn't getting the success needed to pull sponsorship. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p18, 28, 41
TRUE A helicopter arrived & took Lauda to hospital in Koblenz. His injuries were severe, & included third degree burns, broken ribs, collarbone & cheekbone, & complications from inhalation of toxic fumes. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72
FALSE-ISH Hunt won second place at the Grovewood Awards, selected by the British Guild of Motoring Writers. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p24
TRUE Just one of Lauda's multiple bank loans covered the two million schillings required to race with BRM. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p41
TRUE Things were going badly for Lauda when BRM's Louis Stanley got in touch. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p30
TRUE Lauda was brusque & demanding & didn't make a lot of friends. BBC Sport
TRUE Lauda knew his stuff, & suggested important modifications for the cars he raced over the years. Motorsport Magazine
TRUE BRM was broke & didn't have the funds for anything better than tinkering & second-hand parts. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p41
FALSE-ISH This sort-of happened at Ferrari, not BRM. Lauda told Mr. Ferrari that his car had too much understeer. Mr. Ferrari responded that Lauda had one week to lose a second from his lap time or he was out. Lauda modified the car & delivered, calling it 'a piece of cake, actually'. Motorsport Magazine
TRUE BRM offered Lauda a 2yr contract once they got wind of Ferrari's interest in the driver, hoping to tie him down. In the end, Ferrari paid off Lauda's contract & other debts to secure him for their team. Pretty much everybody Lauda ever spoke to was affronted in some way. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p42
FALSE Lauda had a serious girlfriend (Mariella Reininghaus) for years before meeting Marlene, who he married. He wasn't dating at this point. Although Hunt was a promiscuous fellow with swathes of female admirers, so he may well have dated the BRM track manager. ESPN Telegraph
TRUE Lord Hesketh bought a March 731 for Hunt, which premiered at the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix. Wikipedia: Hesketh Racing
TRUE The American driver Mark Donohue died in an accident during a practise lap. Hunt saw it happen. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p53
TRUE-ISH The crash killed American driver Mark Donohue. Hunt threw up before every race, regardless of who he was with or where he was. It was part of his pre-race ritual. Whether or not he threw up at the exact moment he learnt of Donohue's death is unknown. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p25, 53
FALSE-ISH Hunt was the more emotional of the pair, & Lauda was brutally honest, not afraid to air his views - such a scene isn't unlikely. Still, this moment wasn't in the Calley book. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley
This moment isn't in the Calley book. It's pretty likely Hunt imagined his races by way of preparation, although this scene isn't in Calley's book. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley
TRUE-ISH Hunt met Suzy while both were in Spain. They dated on & off, him resisting the commitment she wanted from him. Eventually he half-heartedly proposed. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p30
TRUE Hunt & Suzy were married in a lavish ceremony, paid for by Lord Hesketh. Hunt regretted his proposal & didn't want to go through with the wedding, but felt he couldn't let so many people down. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p30
TRUE Ferrari were so keen to get Lauda on their team that they paid off his 2yr contract with BRM. Motorsport Magazine
TRUE Ferrari had the money & set-up, but hadn't won in years when Lauda joined. The cars weren't up to scratch, but the team owner wouldn't hear of it. Lauda confronted him in his usual foul language & was met with a threat. Ultimately though the cars were improved. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p44-45
TRUE Regazzoni walked out of BRM to join Ferrari, & told them Lauda should be his teammate. Ferrari had noticed Lauda's strong performances in weak cars & headhunted him, paying off his contract with BRM so he could join the team. Motorsport Magazine
TRUE Lauda & Regazzoni always had a good relationship. Motorsport Magazine
TRUE-ISH Lauda met Marlene at a party she threw with her boyfriend. They bonded straight away, & both left their partners to be with one another. Marriage quickly followed. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45
FALSE The whole hitch-hiking scene was made up. LA Times
FALSE Lauda was a superstar in his home country of Austria, & had a huge following in Italy. The hitch-hiking scene never happened, though. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p53 LA Times
FALSE The whole hitch-hiking scene was made up. LA Times
TRUE Niki Lauda was the 1975 F1 world champion. He won with Ferrari. Wikipedia: List of Formula One Champions
TRUE-ISH Although Lauda was a great test driver & knew a lot about cars, he didn't design the suspension as suggested in the film. He had a lot of mechanical input in general, though. Top Gear
TRUE Team Hesketh folded when the money ran out. Wikipedia: Hesketh Racing
TRUE Lord Hesketh had initally hoped to avoid sponsorship at all, citing it as crude. Still, in dire straits he chased £300,000 of sponsorship cash the team needed to stay afloat, to no avail. The team fell apart. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p53
TRUE Following his most successful F1 season & first victory, financial disaster meant Hunt found himself with no car & no team. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p53
TRUE Hesketh was unable to attract sponsorship for Hunt, & eventually, they ran out of cash. Wikipedia: Hesketh Racing
TRUE Suzy was a supportive wife, despite his neglect & consistent unfaithfulness. He later admitted he never loved her. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p48
TRUE Hunt got a call from Emerson Fittipaldi's manager, telling him Fittipaldi was leaving McLaren to joint his brother's team & a space would be opening up. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p55
TRUE McLaren took Hunt on. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p55
TRUE McLaren boss Teddy Mayer certainly did find Hunt to be a loose cannon, & was embarrased by his antics. Still, Hunt was a winner & did well with McLaren. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p55
TRUE Hunt & Lauda were both top of their game, & remained each other's only true competitors throughout the season. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p58
TRUE Brazilian Grand Prix, 25th Jan 1976: Lauda won, qualified second. Hunt retired due to throttle issues. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p193-194
TRUE South African Grand Prix, 6th Mar 1976: Lauda won, qualified second. Hunt came second. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p193-194
TRUE Spanish Grand Prix, 2nd May 1976: Lauda qualified 2nd, finished 2nd. Hunt won, but was disqualified when it was found that his car was 1.8cm wider than regulations allowed. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p63, 193-194
TRUE Monaco Grand Prix, 30th May 1976: Lauda won, Hunt crashed & retired. Wikipedia: 1976 Monaco Grand Prix
TRUE Belgian Grand Prix, 16th May 1976: Lauda won, Hunt qualified 3rd, retired to due gearbox issues. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p193-194
TRUE McLaren repositioned the oil coolers to bring the car back in-line with regulations, but the modifications were disastrous. Lauda was partially to blame for Hunt's disqualification - he appeared in court to give evidence against him. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p64, 77
TRUE Hunt's marriage to Suzy Miller broke down following her affair with Richard Burton in 1976. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45
TRUE Suzy finally left Hunt for Burton, but they had been privately estranged for some time & the split came as a relief to Hunt. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p59
TRUE When questioned by the press about Suzy's affair he shrugged it off & claimed the Grand Prix had his full focus. After meeting with his wife in New York, he dropped her off at Burton's hotel, heightening the scandal. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p59
TRUE Hunt was known for his 'charm' & hooked up with women everywhere he went. He had a thing for air stewardesses, who often shared his hotel rooms. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45 Telegraph
TRUE French Grand Prix, 4th Jul 1976, Lauda retired with engine failure, Hunt won. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p194
TRUE British Grand Prix, 18th Jul 1976, Lauda won, Hunt second but disqualified. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p194
TRUE The FIA heard Hunt's case & decided to revoke the disqualification on the grounds that an extra 1.8cm width would not have given him an unfair advantage. The decision propelled Hunt forwards, giving him an additional 9 points for the season. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p66
TRUE-ISH Hunt & Lauda were both arrogant & self-assured, but this piece of dialogue isn't in Calley's book. The Guardian Grand Prix 24/7
TRUE Lauda & Marlene were married soon after they met, to much controversy. He was the practical type through & through. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45
FALSE-ISH Little is known about Lauda & Marlene's wedding, it was done in secret & came as a surprise to the public. Lauda wasn't into extravagance in any aspect of his life. James Hunt: The Biography (2013) by Gerald Donaldson, p168
TRUE Lauda & Marlene were very close. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45
FALSE-ISH Lauda & Marlene were, & continue to be, very private people. Details like this aren't known. Lauda recently said of his latest marriage, 'I want to protect my private life & not carry it out in detail as Boris Becker does.' Daily Mail
TRUE Ernst Raetz was killed at Nurburgring during practice on Jul 9th, 1976. Wikipedia: 1976 German Grand Prix
No record of this. There's no record of a fan saying this to Lauda, although he signed plenty of autographs. Formula World Shop
TRUE The Nurburgring track in Germany is renowned as one of the toughest in the world. & it was drenched that day. Business Insider The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p37
TRUE-ISH Lauda wasn't always so risk-averse, but a bad accident at Zolder spurred him to take a safer, analytical approach to racing. Lauda did call a meeting before the race, insisting that the track & conditions were too dangerous. He was outvoted by one. Hunt didn't sway the vote though. The majority of the drivers wanted to race. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p27 History vs. Hollywood Empire Magazine
TRUE All the drivers bar one, Jochen Mass, started the race on wet weather tyres. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p70
TRUE Hunt & Lauda started next to each other, Hunt's car on pole position. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p70
TRUE The drivers stopped to change their tyres, giving Jochen Mass, who'd picked the right tyres in the first place, a significant lead. Lauda hit the track desperate to catch Hunt. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p70
TRUE Lauda's Ferrari hit the banking just before the Bergwerk corner & burst into flames. The three drivers he collided with, Guy Edwards, Harold Ertl & Brett Lunger, all stopped & tried to drag Lauda from the burning car. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p70-71
TRUE A German newspaper photographed Lauda in a coma, & ran the headline 'My God, Where Is His Face?'. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72
TRUE During the week following the accident, a priest visited to give him the last rites. The build up of fluid in Lauda's lungs was so dangerous that nobody thought he would survive. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72
TRUE Hunt reported that he felt totally hopeless following the accident, but sent Lauda a provocative telegram, hoping to spark his fighting spirit. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72
TRUE Marlene went straight to the hospital before she even knew which of the 28 drivers had crashed. Lauda woke up against all expectations. She remained with him through his recovery. Google News
TRUE Lauda had some reconstruction & numerous skin grafts, but severe scarring & deformation remained. Marlene fainted when she first saw his face after the accident. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72 Empire Magazine
TRUE Lauda watched Grand Prix races from his hospital bed, including the Austrian Grand Prix, which was almost cancelled out of respect for Lauda. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p72
TRUE Lauda's lungs were so badly damaged they had to be vacuumed. He was in such a terrible state that his doctors put his survival down to pure will. GQ Magazine
TRUE-ISH We don't know much about the private moments between Marlene & Lauda, but he has said the pain of the crash helmet was 'unbearable', & his wounds seeped through his balaclava during his first post-accident race at Monza. GQ Magazine
TRUE Lauda only missed two races of that season, returning to race at Monza 6 weeks after the priest gave him last rites. He was still wrapped in bandages, which were bloodsoaked by the end of the race. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p75-76
FALSE Hunt had no part to play in Lauda's accident. While the film showed Hunt persuading the majority of the drivers to go ahead with the race that day, in reality, it was a close call that Lauda lost by one vote. Empire Magazine
FALSE Although Hunt did have reputation for being wild, this incident isn't on record. Hunt's son Tom has said it was possible, though - 'that's the way dad was'. Empire Magazine Jerry Garrett
TRUE People were shocked to see him return to racing at all, never mind so soon. Fingers were crossed for him. Swide
TRUE Lauda made a slow start, but managed to finish fourth after Laffite, Regazzoni & Peterson. F1's Greatest Races
TRUE-ISH A reporter at a press conference did ask Lauda if he thought his marriage would survive his facial disfigurement, & whether he planned to have plastic surgery. Lauda reacted angrily, stating he did not care how he looked. Empire Magazine
TRUE-ISH Lauda's return to the track was seen as heroic by contemporaries, particularly as he was seen peeling blood soaked bandages from raw wounds afterwards. He wasn't lifted by the crowd, though. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley Swide
TRUE The weather was horrendous on that day, the rain so heavy there were streams running across the track. Many were concerned & some drivers wanted the race cancelled. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p82
TRUE Hunt was a nervous driver with a crippling fear of failure, but always outwardly confident, while Lauda took a calm, matter-of-fact approach to racing - nothing much scared him. The Independent BBC GQ Magazine
TRUE At the time F1 races were rarely televised in the UK, but the Japan Mount Fuji race was due to be shown live on October 24th, 1976. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p81
TRUE The weather was horrendous on that day, the rain so heavy there were streams running across the track. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p82
TRUE Hunt did have holes drilled into his visor as part of the preparation for the race in Japan. The original hand drill used was auctioned off in 2014. Auction Server
TRUE Hunt & Lauda respected one another a great deal, & admired each other's skill. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p65
TRUE The spray virtually blinded Lauda. His eyelids were so badly burnt he struggled to blink, & his damaged tear ducts caused excessive watering. He pulled in, prioritising his safety. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p82 History vs. Hollywood
TRUE The Ferrari team were all over the car, anxious to find out what was wrong. Lauda filled them in. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p82
TRUE The Ferrari team were willing to blame Lauda's exit on a mechanical issue, but he insisted on the truth. 3 other drivers pulled out for safety reasons during the race. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p82
TRUE Hunt failed to pull in for tyre changes, hoping to gain on the other drivers as they did so. By the time he finally entered the pitstop his tyres had disintegrated. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p84
FALSE-ISH Hunt was furious that his team had messed up his tyre strategy, costing him precious time. It took 27 seconds to change all 4 tyres. No record of them suggesting he give up, though. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p84 GQ Magazine
TRUE The pit board was faulty & as Hunt finished the race, he had no idea he had won the championship. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p84
TRUE The pit board was faulty & as Hunt finished the race, he had no idea he had won the championship. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p85
TRUE Hunt insisted on examining the race charts himself, before accepting his win. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p85
TRUE Today, Lauda says he would not have changed anything, has no regrets. He claims it was stupid for anybody to race that day. He only did the single lap he completed so that Ferrari would get their money. The Independent
TRUE Unlike Lauda the year before, Hunt achieved celebrity status with his championship victory, & partied hard in the aftermath. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p87 Telegraph
FALSE-ISH Lauda took an interest in planes for practical reasons, since he travelled so much, but it became a passion. He bought a Cessna Golden Eagle & learnt to fly. We don't know if Hunt & Lauda met up in an aircraft hanger, though. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p45 LA Times
FALSE-ISH There's no record of Hunt & Lauda meeting up in an aircraft hanger, although they did remain friends. LA Times Matter of Facts Blog
TRUE Hunt & Lauda were good friends, & respected one another. Hunt described Lauda as fair & tough. Hunt became a broadcaster for the BBC. Lauda became world champion for the last time in 1984, his third championship. The Playboy and the Rat (2013) by R. Calley, p65 History vs. Hollywood Wikipedia: List of Formula One Champions
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Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes