Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur.
After a couple of years at Brabham and two years' hiatus, Lauda returned and raced four seasons for McLaren between 1982 and 1985 – during which he won the title by half a point over his teammate Alain Prost. ==Early years in racing== Niki Lauda was born on 22 February 1949 in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family.
It would be a feat not achieved since Jack Brabham's victories in 1959 and 1960.
It would be a feat not achieved since Jack Brabham's victories in 1959 and 1960.
Regazzoni spoke so favourably of Lauda that Ferrari promptly signed him, paying him enough to clear his debts. ==Ferrari (1974–1977)== After an unsuccessful start to the 1970s culminating in a disastrous start to the 1973 season, Ferrari regrouped completely under Luca di Montezemolo and were resurgent in 1974.
With his career stalled, he took out a £30,000 bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula Two (F2) driver in 1971.
Because of his family's disapproval he had an ongoing feud with them over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact. Lauda was quickly promoted to the F1 team, but drove for March in F1 and F2 in 1972.
Although the F2 cars were good (and Lauda's driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd), March's 1972 F1 season was catastrophic.
His first Grand Prix (GP) victory – and the first for Ferrari since 1972 – followed only three races later in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team in 1973.
Regazzoni spoke so favourably of Lauda that Ferrari promptly signed him, paying him enough to clear his debts. ==Ferrari (1974–1977)== After an unsuccessful start to the 1970s culminating in a disastrous start to the 1973 season, Ferrari regrouped completely under Luca di Montezemolo and were resurgent in 1974.
It was the fourth 12-cylinder engine design that propelled the Austrian in F1 since 1973.
When his BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni left to rejoin Ferrari in 1974 and team owner Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda.
Regazzoni spoke so favourably of Lauda that Ferrari promptly signed him, paying him enough to clear his debts. ==Ferrari (1974–1977)== After an unsuccessful start to the 1970s culminating in a disastrous start to the 1973 season, Ferrari regrouped completely under Luca di Montezemolo and were resurgent in 1974.
He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship and demonstrated immense commitment to testing and improving the car. The 1975 F1 season started slowly for Lauda; after no better than a fifth-place finish in the first four races, he won four of the next five driving the new Ferrari 312T.
Lauda was known for giving away any trophies he won to his local garage in exchange for his car to be washed and serviced. Unlike 1975 and despite tensions between Lauda and Montezemolo's successor, Daniele Audetto, Lauda dominated the start of the 1976 F1 season, winning four of the first six races and finishing second in the other two.
However, Lauda, who set a record for the most pole positions in a season during the 1975 season, rarely matched his teammate in qualifying.
Afterwards, he worked as a pundit for German TV during Grand Prix weekends and acted as non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, of which Lauda owned 10%. Having emerged as Formula One's star driver amid a title win and leading the championship battle, Lauda was seriously injured in a crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring during which his Ferrari 312T2 burst into flames, and he came close to death after inhaling hot toxic fumes and suffering severe burns.
Lauda was known for giving away any trophies he won to his local garage in exchange for his car to be washed and serviced. Unlike 1975 and despite tensions between Lauda and Montezemolo's successor, Daniele Audetto, Lauda dominated the start of the 1976 F1 season, winning four of the first six races and finishing second in the other two.
He was associated with both Parmalat and Viessmann, sponsoring the ever-present cap he wore from 1976 to hide the severe burns he sustained in his Nürburgring accident.
Lauda credited Austrian journalist Herbert Volker with editing the books. ==Film and television== The 1976 F1 battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt was dramatized in the film Rush (2013), where Lauda was played by Daniel Brühl.
Lauda had two sons with first wife the Chilean-Austrian Marlene Knaus (married 1976, divorced 1991): Mathias, a race driver himself, and Lukas, who acted as Mathias's manager.
He recovered to third, 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 Japanese Grand Prix, and he endured a difficult 1977 season, despite easily winning the championship through consistency rather than outright pace.
The Brabham BT46 Alfa Romeo flat-12 began the 1978 season at the third race in South Africa.
Lauda's best results, apart from the wins in Sweden and Italy after the penalization of Mario Andretti and Gilles Villeneuve, were 2nd in Monaco and Great Britain, and a 3rd in the Netherlands. The Alfa flat-12 engine was too wide for ground effect designs in that the opposed cylinder banks impeded with the venturi tunnels, so Alfa designed a V12 for 1979.
Lauda's 1979 F1 season was again marred by retirements and poor pace, even though he won the non-championship 1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix with the Brabham-Alfa.
In late September, during practice for the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, Lauda cut short a practice session and promptly informed team principal Ecclestone, that he wished to retire immediately, as he had no more desire to "continue the silliness of driving around in circles".
After a couple of years at Brabham and two years' hiatus, Lauda returned and raced four seasons for McLaren between 1982 and 1985 – during which he won the title by half a point over his teammate Alain Prost. ==Early years in racing== Niki Lauda was born on 22 February 1949 in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family.
Lauda, who in the meantime had founded Lauda Air, a charter airline, returned to Austria to run the company full-time. ==McLaren comeback, third world title, and second retirement (1982–1985)== In 1982 Lauda returned to racing, for an unprecedented $3 million salary.
In 1982, upon his return to McLaren, his helmet was white and featured the red "L" logo of Lauda Air instead of his name on both sides, complete with branding from his personal sponsor Parmalat on the top.
The drivers, with the exception of Teo Fabi, barricaded themselves in a banqueting suite at Sunnyside Park Hotel until they had won the day. The 1983 season proved to be transitional for the McLaren team as they were making a change from Ford-Cosworth engines, to TAG-badged Porsche turbo engines, and Lauda did not win a race that year, with his best finish being second at Long Beach behind his teammate John Watson.
From 1983 to 1985, the red and white were reversed to evoke memories of his earlier helmet design. ==Later management roles== In 1993 Lauda returned to Formula One in a managerial position when Luca di Montezemolo offered him a consulting role at Ferrari.
Some political maneuvering by Lauda forced a furious chief designer John Barnard to design an interim car earlier than expected to get the TAG-Porsche engine some much-needed race testing; Lauda nearly won the last race of the season in South Africa. Lauda won a third world championship in 1984 by half a point over teammate Alain Prost, due only to half points being awarded for the shortened 1984 Monaco Grand Prix.
He was one of only two drivers in the race who had driven in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix, the other being World Champion Keke Rosberg, who won in Adelaide in 1985 and would take Lauda's place at McLaren in 1986. ===Helmet=== Lauda's helmet was originally a plain red with his full name written on both sides and the Raiffeisen Bank logo in the chin area.
After a couple of years at Brabham and two years' hiatus, Lauda returned and raced four seasons for McLaren between 1982 and 1985 – during which he won the title by half a point over his teammate Alain Prost. ==Early years in racing== Niki Lauda was born on 22 February 1949 in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family.
However, as it was his last race with Lotus before joining Williams in 1985, Lotus boss Peter Warr refused to give Mansell the brakes he wanted for his car and the Englishman retired with brake failure on lap 52.
As Lauda had passed the Toleman of F1 rookie Ayrton Senna for third place only a few laps earlier, Mansell's retirement elevated him to second behind Prost. The 1985 season was a disappointment for Lauda, with eleven retirements from the fourteen races he started.
After announcing his impending retirement at the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix, he retired for good at the end of that season. Lauda's final Formula One Grand Prix drive was the inaugural Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, South Australia.
He was one of only two drivers in the race who had driven in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix, the other being World Champion Keke Rosberg, who won in Adelaide in 1985 and would take Lauda's place at McLaren in 1986. ===Helmet=== Lauda's helmet was originally a plain red with his full name written on both sides and the Raiffeisen Bank logo in the chin area.
From 1983 to 1985, the red and white were reversed to evoke memories of his earlier helmet design. ==Later management roles== In 1993 Lauda returned to Formula One in a managerial position when Luca di Montezemolo offered him a consulting role at Ferrari.
He took part in negotiations to sign Lewis Hamilton to a three-year deal with Mercedes in 2013. ==Roles beyond Formula One== Lauda returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his second Formula One retirement in 1985.
He was one of only two drivers in the race who had driven in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix, the other being World Champion Keke Rosberg, who won in Adelaide in 1985 and would take Lauda's place at McLaren in 1986. ===Helmet=== Lauda's helmet was originally a plain red with his full name written on both sides and the Raiffeisen Bank logo in the chin area.
Lauda had two sons with first wife the Chilean-Austrian Marlene Knaus (married 1976, divorced 1991): Mathias, a race driver himself, and Lukas, who acted as Mathias's manager.
From 1983 to 1985, the red and white were reversed to evoke memories of his earlier helmet design. ==Later management roles== In 1993 Lauda returned to Formula One in a managerial position when Luca di Montezemolo offered him a consulting role at Ferrari.
Lauda held a commercial pilot's licence and from time to time acted as a captain on the flights of his airline. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993 and from 1996 provided commentary on Grands Prix for Austrian and German television on RTL.
Lauda held a commercial pilot's licence and from time to time acted as a captain on the flights of his airline. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993 and from 1996 provided commentary on Grands Prix for Austrian and German television on RTL.
In 2005, she donated a kidney to Lauda when the kidney he received from his brother in 1997 failed.
After selling his Lauda Air shares to majority partner Austrian Airlines in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team from 2001 to 2002.
Halfway through the 2001 season, Lauda assumed the role of team principal of the Jaguar Formula One team.
After selling his Lauda Air shares to majority partner Austrian Airlines in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team from 2001 to 2002.
The team, however, failed to improve and Lauda was made redundant, together with 70 other key figures, at the end of 2002. In September 2012 he was appointed non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.
After selling his Lauda Air shares to majority partner Austrian Airlines in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team from 2001 to 2002.
In late 2003, he started a new airline, Niki.
Lauda said in a 2009 interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit that an advertiser was paying €1.2m for the space on his red cap. In 2005 the Austrian post office issued a stamp honouring him.
In 2005, she donated a kidney to Lauda when the kidney he received from his brother in 1997 failed.
Decades later, Lauda won a BMW Procar exhibition race event before the 2008 German Grand Prix. In September, Lauda finished 4th in Monza, and won the non-WC Imola event, still with the Alfa V12 engine.
In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 22nd on their top drivers of all-time. Niki Lauda wrote five books: The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving (titled Formula 1: The Art and Technicalities of Grand Prix Driving in some markets) (1975); My Years With Ferrari (1978); The New Formula One: A Turbo Age (1984); Meine Story (titled To Hell and Back in some markets) (1986); Das dritte Leben (en.
In 2008 he married Birgit Wetzinger, a flight attendant for his airline.
Lauda said in a 2009 interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit that an advertiser was paying €1.2m for the space on his red cap. In 2005 the Austrian post office issued a stamp honouring him.
In September 2009, Birgit gave birth to twins. On 2 August 2018 it was announced that Lauda had successfully undergone a lung transplant operation in his native Austria. Lauda spoke fluent Austrian German, English, and Italian. Lauda came from a Roman Catholic family.
It happened on air in May 2010 at the Monaco Grand Prix. Lauda is sometimes known by the nickname "the rat", "SuperRat" or "King Rat" because of his prominent buck teeth.
Similar to Lauda Air, Niki was merged with its major partner Air Berlin in 2011.
The team, however, failed to improve and Lauda was made redundant, together with 70 other key figures, at the end of 2002. In September 2012 he was appointed non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.
He took part in negotiations to sign Lewis Hamilton to a three-year deal with Mercedes in 2013. ==Roles beyond Formula One== Lauda returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his second Formula One retirement in 1985.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live ("I Was There -- May 21, 2019"; "Niki Lauda speaks in 2015"), Lauda said, "...there were basically two or three drivers trying to get me out of the car, but one was Arturo Merzario, the Italian guy, who also had to stop there at the scene, because I blocked the road; and he really came into the car himself, and uh, triggered my, my seatbelt loose, and then pulled me out.
In early 2016, Lauda took over chartered airline Amira Air and renamed the company LaudaMotion.
As a result of Air Berlin's insolvency in 2017, LaudaMotion took over the Niki brand and asset after an unsuccessful bid by Lufthansa and IAG.
In September 2009, Birgit gave birth to twins. On 2 August 2018 it was announced that Lauda had successfully undergone a lung transplant operation in his native Austria. Lauda spoke fluent Austrian German, English, and Italian. Lauda came from a Roman Catholic family.
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live ("I Was There -- May 21, 2019"; "Niki Lauda speaks in 2015"), Lauda said, "...there were basically two or three drivers trying to get me out of the car, but one was Arturo Merzario, the Italian guy, who also had to stop there at the scene, because I blocked the road; and he really came into the car himself, and uh, triggered my, my seatbelt loose, and then pulled me out.
In an interview with Zeit he stated that he left the church for a time to avoid paying church taxes, but went back when he had his two children baptised. == Death and legacy == On 20 May 2019, Lauda died in his sleep, aged 70, at the University Hospital of Zürich, where he had been undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney problems, following a period of ill health.
A statement issued on behalf of his family reported that he had died peacefully, surrounded by family members. Various current and former drivers and teams paid tributes on social media and during the Wednesday press conference session before the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix.
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