Niki Lauda

Austrian Formula 1 racing driver who won three World Championships and became legendary for his remarkable comeback after surviving a near-fatal crash in 1976

Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda was born on 22 February 1949 in Vienna, Austria, into a wealthy paper-manufacturing family who disapproved of his interest in motor racing. He secured a loan against his own life insurance policy in 1971 to buy his way into a Formula Two drive, launching a career built on relentless self-financed determination in the face of family opposition. Lauda joined Ferrari in 1974 and won his first World Championship in 1975. In 1976, having warned that the Nürburgring circuit was unsafe, he suffered a horrific crash during that year's German Grand Prix when his Ferrari struck an embankment and burst into flames; he was trapped in the inferno for over a minute before being pulled from the wreckage with severe burns to his head and lungs scorched from toxic fumes. A priest administered the last rites as he lay in hospital, not expected to survive. Remarkably, Lauda returned to competition just 40 days later at the Italian Grand Prix, blood seeping through the bandages on his disfigured head, finishing fourth in what Jackie Stewart called the most courageous comeback in the history of sport. He narrowly lost that year's title to James Hunt before winning a second championship in 1977, and a third in 1984 with McLaren following a brief retirement to focus on his own airline business. Lauda retired from driving in 1985 and became a prominent advocate for motorsport safety, later serving as non-executive chairman of the Mercedes Formula One team, where he played a key role in persuading Lewis Hamilton to join. He died on 20 May 2019, at age 70, remembered as one of the sport's most resilient and influential figures.

Technical precision, methodical setup work, exceptional racecraft

One of F1's greatest drivers, known for analytical approach and incredible determination

• F1 World Champion 3x (1975,1977,1984)
• Race wins 25