Niki Lauda

Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 - 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur. He was a three-time World Champion, winning the title in , and . He also nearly won the title, despite a massive crash at the which left him with severe burns, and almost killed him.
He later served as chairman for Mercedes Grand Prix.
==Formula One Career==
Born into a wealthy family, Lauda was considered one of Formula One's first pay drivers, but his family heavily disapproved him of racing, so he therefore entered his way into F1 with a bank loan. However, he was found to be good, and managed to find a drive with the team in both F1 and Formula 2, making his debut at his home race in . In , he tested for the declining team, and despite proving his speed, only scored two points in the season.
In , his career changed. BRM teammate, Clay Regazzoni, moved back to , and as Ferrari did not have a second driver, they inquired about Lauda to Regazzoni. Regazzoni thought highly of Lauda's ability and Ferrari signed him, allowing Lauda to pay his bank loans. A good first season followed, starting off with a second place, and despite ending the season with five consecutive retirements, Lauda scored two wins and nine pole positions. The next season was even better, Lauda calling it "the unbelievable year". The season started slowly, with five points after four races, but then the next five races included four victories and a second place. Lauda also won the last race to take his first championship. The championship looked in the bag after Lauda started the season very strongly, scoring podiums in the first seven races. However, Lauda had a massive crash at the Nürburgring, in which he nearly died in his burning car. His chances of survival were so slim that he was given last rites. It was later discovered that Lauda had been wearing a helmet that did not meet the regulations. The helmet was wider and contained more padded foam for extra comfort. In the impact, the foam compressed and allowed the helmet to slip from Lauda's head. Had he been wearing a regulation helmet, the helmet would have had a greater chance of staying on his head and prevented facial damage from burns. Unbelievably though, Lauda returned after just 39 days, having missed two races, and he almost won the championship, being beaten by James Hunt after withdrawing (on safety grounds) in the extreme wet conditions at the .
Lauda's recovery was such that he dominated the season, taking three wins and six second places, and not bothering to drive the last two races after Ferrari wanted to give Gilles Villeneuve a go in a third car. However, after the three glorious years with Ferrari, Lauda quit the team to join in . He drove strongly, scoring just seven podiums but retiring in every other race. In , the Brabham car was poor, notching up retirement after retirement, and Lauda only scored four points, and he retired from F1 before the , tired of driving in circles.
Lauda surprisingly returned in with the team, after being convinced by then team principal Ron Dennis for a $3 million salary. He enjoyed a good first season on his comeback, winning twice, and coming fifth in the championship. was even worse, as after scoring ten points in the first two races, he only scored two more in the remaining thirteen, even failing to qualify at the .
 was a much better year, as Lauda took the championship from Alain Prost by just half a point, the smallest margin on record, taking five wins and four second places in the process. After a weak (with a win), Lauda retired for the second and final time.
==Life after Formula One==
Lauda founded his first airline, Lauda Air, in April 1979. In 2000, he was ousted from the Lauda Air board. In late 2003, Lauda acquired the former Aero Lloyd Austria operation and set up a new airline, Niki. He held a commercial pilot's license and occasionally acted as captain on his airline.
While he was airline manager at Lauda Air, he was appointed consultant at by Luca di Montezemolo in an effort to rejuvenate the team. In mid-, he was appointed Chairman of , but was removed from his position after the season.
In , he was appointed the chairman of Mercedes Grand Prix.
Lauda died on 20 May 2019 at University Hospital Zürich at the age of 70 following a period of ill health.
==Formula One Statistical Overview==
===Formula One Record===
Year	Entrant 	Team 	WDC Points	WDC Pos.	Report
 	STP March Racing Team 	 	0 	NC 	Report
 	STP March Racing Team 	 	0 	23rd 	Report
 	Marlboro-BRM 	 	2 	17th 	Report
 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA 	 	38 	4th 	Report
 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA 	 	64.5 	 	Report
 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA 	 	68 	 	Report
 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA 	 	72 	 	Report
 	Parmalat Racing Team 	 	44 	4th 	Report
 	Parmalat Racing Team 	 	4 	14th 	Report
 	Parmalat Racing Team 	 	4 	14th 	Report
– 	Retired 	Retired	Retired 	Retired 	Retired
 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	30 	5th 	Report
 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	12 	10th 	Report
 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	12 	10th 	Report
 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	72 	 	Report
 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	14 	10th 	Report
===Non-Racing Formula One Career===
Year	Role 	Employer
 	Consultant 	Scuderia Ferrari
 	Consultant 	Scuderia Ferrari
 	Consultant 	Scuderia Ferrari
 	Consultant 	Scuderia Ferrari
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Chief Executive Officer	Jaguar Racing
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Chief Executive Officer	Jaguar Racing
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Commentator 	RTL-F1
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
 	Non-executive Chairman 	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
===Career Statistics===
===Race Wins===
Win Number	Grand Prix
1 	1974 Spanish Grand Prix
2 	1974 Dutch Grand Prix
3 	1975 Monaco Grand Prix
4 	1975 Belgian Grand Prix
5 	1975 Swedish Grand Prix
6 	1975 French Grand Prix
7 	1975 United States Grand Prix
8 	1976 Brazilian Grand Prix
9 	1976 South African Grand Prix
10 	1976 Belgian Grand Prix
11 	1976 Monaco Grand Prix
12 	1976 British Grand Prix
13 	1977 South African Grand Prix
14 	1977 German Grand Prix
15 	1977 Dutch Grand Prix
16 	1978 Swedish Grand Prix
17 	1978 Italian Grand Prix
18 	1982 United States Grand Prix West
19 	1982 British Grand Prix
20 	1982 South African Grand Prix
21 	1984 French Grand Prix
22 	1984 British Grand Prix
23 	1984 Austrian Grand Prix
24 	1984 Italian Grand Prix
25 	1985 Dutch Grand Prix
===Career Results===
|-
| 
| rowspan=2 colspan=19| Did not compete
|-
| 
==External links==
*Lauda on Wikipedia
*Lauda on Manipe F1
==Notes==
de:Niki Lauda
Category:People
Category:1949 births
Category:Austrian Drivers
Category:World Championship Winning Drivers
Category:March Drivers
Category:BRM Drivers
Category:Ferrari Drivers
Category:Brabham Drivers
Category:McLaren Drivers
 
Category:Mercedes
Category:2019 deaths
Category:Deceased Drivers