Marlene Knaus is best known as the first wife of Niki Lauda, the Austrian Formula 1 driver who won three World Championships. But Knaus had her own identity before that marriage. She worked as a fashion model in the late 1960s and 1970s, years before her name became linked to motorsport history. This article looks at what is actually known about her life, what remains unconfirmed, and where the public record runs thin.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Marlene Knaus |
| Known For | Former model; first wife of F1 champion Niki Lauda |
| Born | 1956 (exact date not publicly confirmed) |
| Birthplace | Reported as the United States; some sources say Austria (unconfirmed) |
| Nationality | American by birth; later became an Austrian citizen |
| Occupation | Former fashion model |
| Spouse | Niki Lauda (married 1976, divorced 1991) |
| Children | Two sons — Lukas Lauda (b. 1979) and Mathias Lauda (b. January 30, 1981) |
| Residence (2026) | Widely reported to live in Ibiza, Spain |
| Net Worth | Estimated, unconfirmed — figures reported range from about $43 million to $50 million as of 2026 |
Early Life: A Story With Real Gaps
Most articles about Marlene Knaus state her birth year as 1956, and that detail appears consistently enough to treat as likely accurate. Beyond that, the record gets shaky. Some sources say she was born in the United States to parents of Venezuelan descent. Others claim she was born in Austria. Neither claim is backed by a primary source, a birth record, or a major published profile — so both should be treated as unverified rather than fact.
Her exact birth date, place of upbringing, and education are not documented anywhere reliable. This is common for people who never gave interviews about their childhoods, but it also means that any specific claim about her early years should be read with caution.
A Career in Fashion, Before Formula 1
Before she met Niki Lauda, Knaus was already working as a model. Reports describe her as a recognizable face in European fashion circles during the 1970s, known for a natural look and a distinctive loose hairstyle that set her apart from the more polished styles common at the time. Several accounts describe her as an “It Girl” of that era.
Details about specific campaigns, agencies, or magazine covers are not well documented in verifiable sources, so this article does not list specific credits that cannot be confirmed.
Meeting Niki Lauda
Knaus and Lauda are widely reported to have met in 1975, at a dinner party. One frequently repeated detail says the party was hosted by actor Curd Jürgens, whom Knaus had previously dated — though this detail comes from secondary sources rather than a confirmed primary account. At the time, Lauda was already rising through Formula 1.
The couple married in 1976, not long after Lauda’s near-fatal crash at the Nürburgring during the German Grand Prix that same year. Knaus is consistently described as having stayed by his side through the recovery, which involved severe burns and a long physical recovery process. Lauda himself spoke about this later in life. In a 2017 interview, he described her as someone who supported him fully during a very hard period, even though she reportedly disliked the danger of his profession.
Family Life: Two Sons
Marlene Knaus and Niki Lauda had two sons together:
- Lukas Lauda, born in 1979, who went on to work in motorsport management.
- Mathias Lauda, born January 30, 1981, who became a professional racing driver. He won the GT Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2017 and has raced for Aston Martin.
Public accounts describe Knaus as taking on most of the day-to-day parenting while Lauda’s career kept him away from home for long stretches. Both sons have stayed connected to motorsport as adults, which several articles point to as a sign of their father’s influence growing up.
It’s worth noting that Lauda also had a third son, Christoph, born in 1982 from a separate relationship outside the marriage. Details about Christoph’s life remain largely private, and this is sometimes cited as one factor in the couple’s later separation — though the exact reasons for the divorce were never made public by either party.
Divorce in 1991
After fifteen years of marriage, Knaus and Lauda divorced in 1991. Neither of them gave a detailed public explanation for the split. Some later reporting suggested that Lauda’s demanding career and time away from home played a role, but this is not something either party confirmed directly, so it should be treated as speculation rather than fact.
What is better documented is that the two remained on reasonably good terms afterward. Alexandra Maria Lara, who played Knaus in the 2013 film Rush about Lauda’s rivalry with James Hunt, has said publicly that Knaus and Lauda stayed close after the divorce, at one point describing them as “soulmates” in interviews about the role. Knaus reportedly did not remarry.
After the Divorce: A Deliberately Private Life
Following the split, Knaus largely disappeared from public view. She has not maintained a visible modeling or business career, has not given regular interviews, and does not appear to keep a public social media presence. This pattern has held for more than three decades.
This kind of public flattening — reducing a woman’s life to “the ex-wife of” a famous man — is common. Myrna Colley-Lee, best known as Morgan Freeman’s ex-wife, had a full career as a costume designer that rarely made it into her headlines either. Knaus’s case is similar: most coverage skips straight past her modeling years and focuses only on the Lauda marriage.
Multiple 2026 sources report that she still lives in Ibiza, Spain, in a home connected to the Lauda family for years. This detail is repeated often enough across sources to be reasonably credible, though it has not been confirmed through a primary interview or official statement from Knaus herself.
Niki Lauda’s Death and the Family Afterward
Niki Lauda died on May 20, 2019, and was buried following a funeral service in Vienna. After his death, his second wife, Birgit Wetzinger — whom he married in 2008 and with whom he had twins, Mia and Max — was reportedly left out of his original will. In 2024, Wetzinger won a legal case and received a 16% share of the estate. Reports indicate this ruling did not affect Knaus’s own inheritance or her sons’ shares.
Some accounts also describe Knaus as having maintained a cordial relationship with the extended Lauda family, including Wetzinger, though the depth of that relationship is not something either woman has confirmed on the record.
Estimated Net Worth
Reported figures for Knaus’s net worth vary noticeably between sources, ranging from roughly $43 million to $50 million as of 2026. None of these figures come from an official or verifiable financial source. They appear to be estimates based on her divorce settlement, inheritance, and the value of property such as the Ibiza home. Readers should treat any net worth figure here as an estimate only, not a confirmed number.
How This Was Researched
I researched this biography by reviewing a wide range of publicly available celebrity biography articles, along with older news coverage of Niki Lauda’s career, his 1976 crash, and the 2024 estate case involving Birgit Wetzinger. Almost none of the existing coverage of Marlene Knaus cites a primary source, an interview with her directly, or an official record — most articles repeat the same handful of claims from each other. Where a detail appeared in only one or two low-quality sources, or where sources directly contradicted each other (such as her birthplace or exact net worth), I have flagged it as unconfirmed rather than presenting it as settled fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marlene Knaus still alive in 2026? Yes. She is alive and, according to multiple reports, continues to live privately in Ibiza, Spain.
When did Marlene Knaus marry Niki Lauda? They married in 1976 and divorced in 1991, after roughly fifteen years of marriage.
How many children does Marlene Knaus have? Two sons: Lukas Lauda (born 1979) and Mathias Lauda (born January 30, 1981).
What was Marlene Knaus’s career before her marriage? She worked as a fashion model during the late 1960s and 1970s.
What is Marlene Knaus’s net worth? It is not officially confirmed. Estimates in various reports range from about $43 million to $50 million as of 2026.
Did Marlene Knaus remarry after her divorce? No. Public reports consistently state that she did not remarry
Accuracy Note:
This biography is based on publicly available information, including secondary news coverage and previously published profiles. Several details about Marlene Knaus’s early life and finances are not independently confirmed and have been clearly marked as such. If you spot anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update it.
Written and researched by Hassan, contributor at ntx magazine.
Written by Hassan, founder and editor of NTX Magazine — an independent news and biography publication. Every article is researched and cross-checked against multiple public sources before publishing; see our Sourcing Standards page for details.