Polar opposites both on and off the track, the rancour between dashing, devil-may-care British playboy Hunt and the efficient and cool Austrian Lauda knows no bounds as the two battle it out to be the 1976 Formula 1 World Champion. But when a horrifying crash at Germany`s Nürburgring leaves Lauda badly burned and scarred, his miraculous return to the track in just six weeks earns the grudging respect of Hunt, in the process setting up a climactic end to the season as both drivers pursue the ultimate prize.