(born
February 22 ,
1949 in
Vienna ,
Austria ) is an
Entrepreneur , former
Formula 1 (F1) racing driver and three-time
F1 World Champion .
Born into a wealthy family, Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval. He joined the fledgling
March team as a
Formula 2 (F2) driver in
1971 and drove in both F1 and F2 for them in
1972 before joining
BRM in
1973 . His big break came when his BRM team-mate
Clay Regazzoni rejoined
Ferrari in
1974 and team owner
Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda. Regazzoni spoke favourably of Lauda, so Ferrari promptly went and signed him.
After an unsuccessful start to the
1970s , Ferrari were resurgent in
1974 . The team's faith in the little-known Lauda was quickly rewarded by a second-place finish in his début race for the team, the season-opening
Argentine Grand Prix . His first
Grand Prix (GP) victory – and the first for Ferrari since 1972 – followed only three races later in
Spain . Although Lauda became the season's pacesetter, achieving six consecutive
Pole Position s, a mixture of inexperience and mechanical unreliability meant Lauda won only one more race that year, the
Dutch GP . He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
The
1975 F1 Season started slowly for Lauda, but after nothing better than a fifth-place finish in the first four races he then won four out of the next five races. His first World Championship was confirmed with a fifth win at the last race of the year, the
United States GP .
Unlike
1975 , Lauda dominated the start of the
1976 F1 Season , winning four of the first six races and finishing second in the other two. By the time of his fifth win of the year at the
British GP , he had more than double the points of his closest challenger
Jody Scheckter and a second consecutive World Championship appeared a formality. It would be a feat not achieved since
Jack Brabham 's victories in
1959 and
1960 .
In the next race, however, the
German GP at the long
Nürburgring circuit, disaster struck. On the second lap of the race, Lauda's car swerved off the track, hit an embankment and rolled back into the path of
Brett Lunger 's
Surtees -
Ford car. Lauda's car burst into flames, but, unlike Lunger, he was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers
Arturo Merzario and
Guy Edwards arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before they and Lunger were able to pull Lauda from his car, he suffered severe
Burn s to his head and inhaled hot
Toxic gases that damaged his
Lung s and
Blood . Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into
Coma and a priest administered the
Last Rites .
Incredibly, however, Lauda not only survived but returned to race only six weeks (two races) later, finishing a sensational fourth in the
Italian GP . During Lauda's absence,
McLaren driver
James Hunt had reduced Lauda's lead in the World Championship standings. Following wins in the
Canadian and
United States GP s, Hunt stood only three points behind Lauda before the final race of the season, the
Japanese GP .
Lauda qualified third, one place behind Hunt, but on race day there was torrential rain and
Lauda retired after 2 laps, stating that he felt it was unsafe to continue under these conditions. Hunt led much of the race before a late puncture dropped him down the order. He recovered to 3rd, thus winning the title by a single point.
Lauda's previously good relationship with Ferrari was severely affected by his decision to withdraw from the race, and he endured a difficult
1977 season, despite easily winning the championship through consistency rather than outright pace. Having announced his decision to quit Ferrari at season's end, Lauda left early due to the team's decision to run the then unknown
Gilles Villeneuve in a third car at the
Canadian Grand Prix .
Having joined
Brabham in
1978 , Lauda endured two unsuccessful seasons, notable mainly for his one race in a radical design which used fan-assisted aerodynamics. The vehicle won its only race and was then promptly banned. At the
1979 Canadian Grand Prix, Lauda informed Brabham owner
Bernie Ecclestone that he wished to retire immediately, as he had no more desire to "drive around in circles". Lauda, who had founded a charter airline, returned to Austria to run the company full-time.
But in
1982 Lauda returned to racing, feeling that he still had a career in Formula One. After a successful test with
McLaren , the only problem was in convincing then team sponsor
Marlboro that he was still capable of winning. Lauda proved he was still quite capable when, in his third race back, he won the
Long Beach Grand Prix . Lauda would win a third world championship in
1984 by one-half point over teammate
Alain Prost .
He returned to running his airline,
Lauda Air , on his retirement in
1985 . Ousted by boardroom politics after a sale to majority partner
Austrian Airlines in
1999 , he managed the
Jaguar Formula One racing team 2001-2002. In late
2003 , he started a new airline,
Niki .
He was inducted into the
International Motorsports Hall Of Fame in
1993 .
As a driver, Lauda was renowned for his clear-headed approach to driving, minimising risk whilst maximising results, and ruthless self-interest. Lauda is considered one of the most accomplished test drivers in the sport, often working long hours refining his car's performance.
Niki Lauda is the author of four books; '''' (
1984 ), and ''
Meine Story '' (
1986 ). Lauda credits Austrian journalist
Herbert Volker with editing the books.
Lauda is sometimes known by the rather uncomplimentary
Nickname "the rat".
