Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver, a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and an aviation entrepreneur. He is the only driver in F1 history to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport's two most successful constructors. He is widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.[1] As an aviation entrepreneur, he founded and ran three airlines: Lauda Air, Niki, and Lauda. He was a Bombardier Business Aircraft brand ambassador. He was also a consultant for Scuderia Ferrari and team manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years. 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%.[2]
.jpg) Lauda in 2016 | |
| Born | Andreas Nikolaus Lauda 22 February 1949 Vienna, Austria |
|---|---|
| Died | 20 May 2019 (aged 70) Zürich, Switzerland |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  |
| Active years | 1971–1979, 1982–1985 |
| Teams | March, BRM, Ferrari, Brabham, McLaren |
| Entries | 177 (171 starts) |
| Championships | 3 (1975, 1977, 1984) |
| Wins | 25 |
| Podiums | 54 |
| Career points | 420.5 |
| Pole positions | 24 |
| Fastest laps | 24 |
| First entry | 1971 Austrian Grand Prix |
| First win | 1974 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1985 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1985 Australian Grand Prix |
Having emerged as Formula One's star driver amid a 1975 title win and leading the 1976 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.[3] He survived and recovered sufficiently to race again just six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix. Although he lost that year's title – by just one point – to James Hunt, he won his second championship the year after, during his final season at Ferrari. 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 1984 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[4][5] family. His paternal grandfather was the Viennese-born industrialist Hans Lauda.[6][7]
Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval.[8] After starting out with a Mini,[9] Lauda moved on into Formula Vee,[10] as was normal in Central Europe, but rapidly moved up to drive in private Porsche and Chevron sports cars.[11] With his career stalled, he took out a £30,000 bank loan,[12] secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula Two (F2) driver in 1971.[13] Because of his family's disapproval he had an ongoing feud with them over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact.[14]
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. Perhaps the lowest point of the team's season came at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, where both March cars were disqualified within 3 laps of each other after just past 3/4 race distance. Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team in 1973. Lauda was instantly quick, but the team was in decline; although the BRM P160E was quick and easy to drive it was not reliable and its engine lacked power. Lauda’s big break came after he ran 3rd at the Monaco Grand Prix that year, and Enzo Ferrari became interested. 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. The team's faith in the little-known Lauda was quickly rewarded by a second-place finish in his debut race for the team, the season-opening Argentine Grand Prix.[15] His first Grand Prix (GP) victory – and the first for Ferrari since 1972 – followed only three races later in the Spanish Grand Prix. Although Lauda became the season's pacesetter, achieving six consecutive pole positions, 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 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. His first World Championship was confirmed with a third-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza; Lauda's teammate Regazzoni won the race and Ferrari clinched their first Constructors' Championship in 11 years; Lauda then picked up a fifth win at the last race of the year, the United States GP at Watkins Glen. He also became the first driver to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes, which was considered a huge feat as the Nordschleife section of the Nürburgring was two miles longer than it is today. Lauda did not win the German Grand Prix from pole position there that year; after battling hard with Patrick Depailler for the lead for the first half of the race, Lauda led for the first 9 laps but suffered a puncture at the Wippermann 9 miles into the 10th lap and was passed by Carlos Reutemann, James Hunt, Tom Pryce and Jacques Laffite; Lauda made it back to the pits with a damaged front wing and a destroyed left front tyre. The Ferrari pit changed the destroyed tyre and Lauda managed to make it to the podium in 3rd behind Reutemann and Laffite after Hunt retired and Pryce had to slow down because of a fuel leak. Lauda was known for giving away any trophies he won to his local garage in exchange for his car to be washed and serviced.[16]
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. By the time of his fifth win of the year at the British GP, he had more than double the points of his closest challengers Jody Scheckter and James Hunt, 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. He also looked set to win the most races in a season, a record held by the late Jim Clark since 1963.
1976 Nürburgring crash
A week before the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, even though he was the fastest driver on that circuit at the time, Lauda urged his fellow drivers to boycott the race, largely because of the 23-kilometre (14 mi) circuit's safety arrangements, citing the organisers' lack of resources to properly manage such a huge circuit, including lack of fire marshals, fire and safety equipment and safety vehicles. Formula One was quite dangerous at the time (three of the drivers that day would later die in Formula One incidents: Tom Pryce in 1977; Ronnie Peterson in 1978; and Patrick Depailler in 1980), but a majority of the drivers voted against the boycott and the race went ahead.
On 1 August 1976 during the second lap at the very fast left kink before Bergwerk, Lauda was involved in an accident where his Ferrari swerved off the track, hit an embankment, burst into flames, and made contact with Brett Lunger's Surtees-Ford car. Unlike Lunger, Lauda was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers Arturo Merzario, Lunger, Guy Edwards, and Harald Ertl arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before Merzario was able to pull Lauda from his car, he suffered severe burns to his head and inhaled hot toxic gases that damaged his lungs and blood.[17] 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. It was unbelievable, how he could do that, and I met him afterwards, and I said, 'How could you do it?!'. He said, 'Honestly, I do not know, but to open your seatbelt was so difficult, because you were pushing so hard against it, and when it was open, I got you out of the car like a feather...'."[18] As Lauda was wearing a modified helmet because it didn't fit him properly, the foam had compressed and it slid off his head after the accident, leaving his face exposed to the fire.[19] Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into a coma.[20] While in hospital he was given the last rites, but survived.[21]
Lauda suffered extensive scarring from the burns to his head, losing most of his right ear as well as the hair on the right side of his head, his eyebrows, and his eyelids. He chose to limit reconstructive surgery to replacing the eyelids and getting them to work properly. After the accident he always wore a cap to cover the scars on his head. He arranged for sponsors to use the cap for advertising.
With Lauda out of the contest, Carlos Reutemann was taken on as his replacement. Ferrari boycotted the Austrian Grand Prix in protest at what they saw as preferential treatment shown towards McLaren driver James Hunt at the Spanish and British Grands Prix.
Return to racing
Lauda missed only two races, appearing at the Monza press conference six weeks after the accident with his fresh burns still bandaged. He finished fourth in the Italian GP, despite being, by his own admission, absolutely petrified. F1 journalist Nigel Roebuck recalls seeing Lauda in the pits, peeling the blood-soaked bandages off his scarred scalp. He also had to wear a specially adapted crash helmet so as to not be in too much discomfort. In Lauda's absence, Hunt had mounted a late charge to reduce Lauda's lead in the World Championship standings. Hunt and Lauda were friends away from the circuit, and their personal on-track rivalry, while intense, was cleanly contested and fair. Following wins in the Canadian and United States Grands Prix, Hunt stood only three points behind Lauda before the final race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix.
Lauda qualified third, one place behind Hunt, but on race day there was torrential rain and Lauda retired after two laps. He later said that he felt it was unsafe to continue under these conditions, especially since his eyes were watering excessively because of his fire-damaged tear ducts and inability to blink. Hunt led much of the race before his tires blistered and a pit stop dropped him down the order. 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. Lauda disliked his new teammate, Reutemann, who had served as his replacement driver. Lauda was not comfortable with this move and felt he had been let down by Ferrari. "We never could stand each other, and instead of taking pressure off me, they put on even more by bringing Carlos Reutemann into the team."[22] Having announced his decision to quit Ferrari at season's end, Lauda left earlier after he won the Drivers' Championship at the United States Grand Prix because of the team's decision to run the unknown Gilles Villeneuve in a third car at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Brabham and first retirement (1978–1979)
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Joining Parmalat-sponsored Brabham-Alfa Romeo in 1978 for a $1 million salary, Lauda endured two unsuccessful seasons, remembered mainly for his one race in the Brabham BT46B, a radical design known as the Fan Car: it won its first and only race at the Swedish GP, but Brabham did not use the car in F1 again; other teams vigorously protested the fan car's legality and Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone, who at the time was maneuvering for acquisition of Formula One's commercial rights, did not want to fight a protracted battle over the car, but the victory in Sweden remained official. The Brabham BT46 Alfa Romeo flat-12 began the 1978 season at the third race in South Africa. It suffered from a variety of troubles that forced Lauda to retire the car 9 out of 14 races. 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. It was the fourth 12-cylinder engine design that propelled the Austrian in F1 since 1973. 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 the single make BMW M1 Procar Championship, driving for the British Formula Two team Project Four Racing (led by Ron Dennis) when not in a factory entry, Lauda won three races for P4 plus the series. 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. After that, Brabham returned to the familiar Cosworth V8. 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". Lauda, who in the meantime had founded Lauda Air, a charter airline, returned to Austria to run the company full-time.[23]
McLaren comeback, third world title, and second retirement (1982–1985)
In 1982 Lauda returned to racing, for an unprecedented $3 million salary.[23] After a successful test with McLaren, the only problem was to convince then team sponsor Marlboro that he was still capable of winning. Lauda proved he was when, in his third race back, he won the Long Beach Grand Prix. Before the opening race of the season at Kyalami race track in South Africa, Lauda was the organiser of the so-called "drivers' strike"; Lauda had seen that the new Super Licence required the drivers to commit themselves to their present teams and realised that this could hinder a driver's negotiating position. The drivers, with the exception of Teo Fabi, barricaded themselves in a banqueting suite at Sunnyside Park Hotel until they had won the day.[24]
The 1983 season proved to be transitional for the McLaren team as they were making a change from Ford-Cosworth power to TAG-badged Porsche turbo power, and Lauda did not win a race that year, with his best finish being 2nd at Long Beach behind his teammate John Watson. 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. His Austrian Grand Prix victory that year is so far the only time an Austrian has won his home Grand Prix.[25] Initially, Lauda did not want Prost to become his teammate, as he presented a much faster rival. However, during the two seasons together, they had a good relationship and Lauda later said that beating the talented Frenchman was a big motivator for him.[26] The whole season continued to be dominated by Lauda and Prost, who won 12 of 16 races. Lauda won five races, while Prost won seven. However, Lauda, who set a record for the most pole positions in a season during the 1975 season, rarely matched his teammate in qualifying. Despite this, Lauda's championship win came in Portugal, when he had to start in eleventh place on the grid, while Prost qualified on the front row. Prost did everything he could, starting from second and winning his 7th race of the season, but Lauda's calculating drive (which included setting the fastest race lap), passing car after car, saw him finish second behind his teammate which gave him enough points to win his third title.[27] His second place was a lucky one though as Nigel Mansell was in second for much of the race. 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. He did not start the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps after crashing and breaking his wrist during practice, and he later missed the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch; John Watson replaced him for that race. He did manage 4th at the San Marino Grand Prix, 5th at the German Grand Prix, and a single race win at the Dutch Grand Prix where he held off a fast finishing Prost late in the race. This proved to be his last Grand Prix victory and also the last Formula One Grand Prix held in the Netherlands. 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. After qualifying 16th, a steady drive saw him leading by lap 53. However, the McLaren's ceramic brakes suffered on the street circuit and he crashed out of the lead at the end of the long Brabham Straight on lap 57 when his brakes finally failed. He was one of only two drivers in the race who had driven in the non-championship 1984 Australian Grand Prix, the other being 1982 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. He wore a modified AGV helmet in the weeks following his Nürburgring accident so as the lining would not aggravate his burned scalp too badly. 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. From 1983–1985, 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. Halfway through the 2001 season Lauda assumed the role of team principal of the Jaguar Formula One team. 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.[28] He took part in negotiations to sign Lewis Hamilton to a three-year deal with Mercedes.
Roles beyond Formula One
Lauda returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his second Formula One retirement in 1985. During his time as airline manager, he was appointed consultant at Ferrari as part of an effort by Montezemolo to rejuvenate the team.[29] 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. Similar to Lauda Air, Niki was merged with its major partner Air Berlin in 2011. In early 2016, Lauda took over chartered airline Amira Air and renamed the company LaudaMotion.[30] 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.[31] Lauda held a commercial pilot's licence and from time to time acted as a captain on the flights of his airline.[32]
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. He was, however, criticized for calling Robert Kubica a "polacke" (an ethnic slur for Polish people). It happened on air in May 2010 at the Monaco Grand Prix.[33][34]
Lauda is sometimes known by the nickname "the rat", "SuperRat" or "King Rat" because of his prominent buck teeth.[35] 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 Nurburgring accident. 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.[36]
In 2005 the Austrian post office issued a stamp honouring him.[37] In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 22nd on their top drivers of all-time.[38]
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. The third life) (1996).[39] 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 made a cameo appearance at the end of the film. Lauda said of Hunt's death, "When I heard he'd died age 45 of a heart attack I wasn't surprised, I was just sad." He also said that Hunt was one of the very few he liked, a smaller number of people he respected and the only person he had envied.[40]
Lauda appeared in an episode of Mayday titled "Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits" regarding the events of Lauda Air Flight 004.
Personal life
The name of his mother is Elisabeth.[41] Lauda had two sons with first wife Marlene Knaus (married 1976, divorced 1991): Mathias, a race driver himself, and Lukas, who acted as Mathias's manager. In 2008 he married Birgit Wetzinger, a flight attendant for his airline. In 2005, she donated a kidney to Lauda when the kidney he received from his brother in 1997 failed.[42][43] 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.[44]
Lauda spoke fluent Austrian German, English, and Italian.[45]
Lauda came from a Roman Catholic family. 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.[46]
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.[47][48] A statement issued on behalf of his family reported that he had died peacefully, surrounded by family members.[49]
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.[50] A moment of silence was held before the race. Throughout the weekend, fans and drivers were encouraged to wear red caps in his honour, with the Mercedes team painting their halo device red with a sticker stating "Niki we miss you" instead of their usual silver scheme.[51] His funeral, at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, was attended by many prominent Formula One figures (including Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, David Coulthard, Nico Rosberg, Alain Prost, Valtteri Bottas, Nelson Piquet, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Jackie Stewart), Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many Austrian politicians, including Alexander Van der Bellen among others.[52]
Racing record
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | March Engineering | March 712M | Cosworth FVA | HOC Ret |
THR 10 |
NÜR 6 |
JAR 7 |
PAL DNQ |
ROU 4 |
MAN Ret |
TUL Ret |
ALB Ret |
VAL 7 |
VAL | 10th | 8 | |||
| 1972 | March Engineering | March 722 | Ford BDA | MAL 2 |
THR 3 |
HOC Ret |
PAU Ret |
PAL DNQ |
HOC Ret |
ROU Ret |
ÖST Ret |
IMO 3 |
MAN Ret |
PER | SAL 6 |
ALB | HOC 9 |
5th | 25 |
Source:[53] | |||||||||||||||||||
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | STP March Racing Team | March 721 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC | BRA | INT | OUL | REP DNS |
VIC |
| 1973 | Marlboro-BRM | BRM P160D | BRM P142 3.0 V12 | ROC Ret |
INT 5 |
||||
| 1974 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312B3 | Ferrari 001/11 3.0 F12 | PRE | ROC 2 |
INT | |||
| 1975 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312T | Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 | ROC | INT 1 |
SUI | |||
| 1976 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari 312T2 | Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 | ROC Ret |
INT | ||||
| 1978 | Parmalat Racing Team | Brabham BT45C | Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 | INT DNS |
|||||
| 1979 | Parmalat Racing Team | Brabham BT48 | Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 | ROC 5 |
GNM | DIN 1 |
|||
Source:[53] | |||||||||
Other race results
- BMW M1 Procar Championship: 1st,1979
- 24 hours of Nurburgring: 1st,1973
- 1000 km of Spa Francorchamps: 1st,1973
- 4 hours of Monza: 1st,1973
- 4 hours of Zandvoort: 1st,1974, 3rd,1972
- Diepholz SRP/GT: 1st,1970
- 6 hours of Nurbugring: 2nd,1971
- 9 hours of Kyalami: 3rd,1972
- Taurenpokal Salzburgring: 1st,1971
Books
- Lauda, Niki. Technik und Praxis des Grand-Prix-Sports (in German). Stuttgart; Vienna: Stuttgart Motorbuch-Verlag; Orac.
- Lauda, Niki (1977). The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving (AKA Formula 1: The Art and Technicalities of Grand Prix Driving). David Irving (trans.). Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International. ISBN 9780879380496. OCLC 483675371.
- Lauda, Niki (1977). Protokoll: meine Jahre mit Ferrari. Stuttgard; Vienna: Stuttgart Motorbuch-Verlag; Orac. ISBN 9783853688434. OCLC 3869352.
- Lauda, Niki (1978). My Years with Ferrari. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International. ISBN 9780879380595. OCLC 3842607. AKA For the Record: My Years with Ferrari (British edition).
- Lauda, Niki (1982). Die neue Formel 1. Stuttgard; Vienna: Stuttgart Motorbuch-Verlag; Orac. ISBN 9783853689103. OCLC 1072406853.
- Lauda, Niki (1984). The New Formula One: A Turbo Age. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International. ISBN 9780879381790. OCLC 10456956.
- Lauda, Niki; Völker, Herbert (1985). Niki Lauda: Meine Story. Stuttgard; Vienna: Stuttgart Motorbuch-Verlag; Orac. ISBN 9783701500253. OCLC 38110109.
- Lauda, Niki; Völker, Herbert (1986). To Hell and Back: An Autobiography. E. J. Crockett (trans.). London: Stanley Paul. ISBN 9780091642402. OCLC 476752274.
- Lauda, Niki. Das dritte Leben. Munich: Heyne. ISBN 9783453115729. OCLC 40286522.
References
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- Daily Express pages 1, 8 & 16 BATTLE FOR LAUDA'S LIFE Monday 2 August 1976 "Heroes pull world champion from race wreck."
- "Niki Lauda – Facts, Biography, & Crash". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- Moulson, Geir. "Three-time F1 champ, aviation entrepreneur Niki Lauda passes away at 70". Spin.ph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
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- "Sportreport.at – Hall of Fame – die Besten der Besten". www.die-namenlosen.at (in German). Retrieved 16 May 2010.
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- "Niki Lauda passes away: All you need to know about the Austrian Formula One legend who defied death on the tracks". First Post. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "Obituary: Niki Lauda, three-times F1 World Champion who recovered from horrific accident". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "Vale: Niki Lauda". Auto Action. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- "That was the power and the persuasiveness that Niki Lauda had". Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Was sind überhaupt Freunde?. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. 9. Juli 2010.
- Argentine Grand Prix, Eric della Faille Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- Gerald Donaldson. "Formula One Drivers Hall of Fame – Nikki Lauda". Formula One web site. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- Rubython, Tom. (2011). In the name of glory. Watson, John., Schleglmilch, Rainer. London: Myrtle. ISBN 978-0-9565656-9-3. OCLC 757931377.
- "BBC Radio 5 live - In Short - 'I was there': Niki Lauda Grand Prix crash, 1976". BBC. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- Tom Rubython: In the Name of Glory – 1976 Myrtle Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9565656-9-3, p. 163.
- Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. p. 137. ISBN 0-85429-380-9.
- Hopps, Kat (21 May 2019). "Niki Lauda death: Who was F1 racing legend who SURVIVED horror 1976 Grand Prix crash?". Express.co.uk.
- Tom Rubython: In the Name of Glory – 1976 Myrtle Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9565656-9-3, p. 187
- Benson, Andrew (21 May 2019). "Niki Lauda obituary: 'A remarkable life lived in Technicolour'". BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Malcolm Folley: Senna versus Prost Century, 2009, ISBN 978-1-8460-5540-9, p. 79ff
- Austrian Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- Malcolm Folley: Senna versus Prost Century, 2009, ISBN 978-1-8460-5540-9, p. 153
- Portuguese Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
- "Lauda to join Mercedes in advisory role". GPUpdate.net. 28 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- Zapelloni, Umberto (April 2004). Formula Ferrari. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 17. ISBN 0-340-83471-4.
- "Niki Lauda has renamed Amira Air LaudaMotion". austrianwings.info. 10 February 2016.
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External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Hunt |
BRDC International Trophy winner 1975 |
Succeeded by James Hunt |
| Preceded by Emerson Fittipaldi |
Formula One World Champion 1975 |
Succeeded by James Hunt |
| Preceded by James Hunt |
Formula One World Champion 1977 |
Succeeded by Mario Andretti |
| Preceded by Inaugural |
Procar BMW M1 Champion 1979 |
Succeeded by Nelson Piquet |
| Preceded by Nelson Piquet |
Formula One World Champion 1984 |
Succeeded by Alain Prost |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Franz Klammer |
Austrian Sportsman of the Year 1977 |
Succeeded by Sepp Walcher |
| Preceded by Nadia Comăneci |
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year 1977 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Ali |
| Preceded by Nelson Piquet |
Autosport International Racing Driver Award 1984 |
Succeeded by Alain Prost |
| Preceded by Lewis Hamilton |
FIA Personality of the Year 2019 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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