The author had no intention of writing this new biography of Niki Lauda. After all, the three-time World Champion’s wonderful story has been told often and well through the decades in magazines, books and on film. But when Lauda died on May 20 last year at the age of 70, Maurice Hamilton found himself compelled to revisit the life of a man he had known for 40 years, such was the outpouring of genuine grief, including from within the modern-day Formula 1 paddock, in which Niki remained both actively relevant and hugely popular.

On the anniversary of his death, this isn’t the only Lauda book hitting the shelves this month. His celebrated autobiography To Hell and Back is also back in circulation, with the addition of a new introduction and a round-up chapter on his later years by former Times motor racing correspondent Kevin Eason. But Hamilton’s book, which has the blessing of Lauda’s sons, Lukas and Mathias, is the one we’d recommend. As great as To Hell and Back remains, the new biography adds greater detail from other perspectives while still drawing on the best direct quotes from the many other interviews Lauda gave over the years. Autobiographies are not necessarily the definitive word on a subject.

Hamilton adds a nice personal touch, given that he had so many dealings with Lauda from their first interview in 1982. He includes a delightful portrait he took as a fan, of a young Niki in his Formula 2 March at Mallory Park in 1971. Lauda was never one for nostalgia, but years later when Hamilton showed him the picture he was genuinely moved, especially when he spotted the family ring on his left hand. The heirloom would soon be discarded, following the traumatic row with his autocratic grandfather, who had tried to sabotage his racing ambitions.