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Niki Lauda

Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949) is an Austrian racing driver.

Born on February 22, 1949 in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy family, he became a racing driver in 1968 and began racing in Formula One with the March team in 1973. Joining Ferrari in 1974, he won his first Grand Prix, and his first world championship in 1975.

In 1976, Lauda suffered severe injuries, including horrific burns, in a crash at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Near death, he nevertheless managed to get back into his Ferrari six weeks after his accident. In one of the most famous World Championship finishes in history, he lost the championship to James Hunt when he withdrew from the last race of the year in Japan after only two laps because of the dangerously wet conditions.

Lauda easily won the 1977 championship despite only winning three races.

After leaving Ferrari to join 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. In mid-1979, Lauda left to found his own airline.

Lauda returned to racing in 1982 when his airline was struggling financially, winning a third and final championship with McLaren in 1984.

He returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his retirement in 1985. Ousted by boardroom politics in 1999, he managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team 2001-2002.

As a driver, Lauda was renowned for his clear-headed approach to driving, minimising risk whilst maximising results, and ruthless self-interest.

People of Formula One:
Administration Team management Former drivers Other personalities
Bernie Ecclestone
Max Mosley
Charlie Whiting
Jo Bauer
Sid Watkins
Ferrari: Jean Todt
Williams: Frank Williams
McLaren: Ron Dennis
Renault: Flavio Briatore
BAR: David Richards
Sauber: Peter Sauber
Jaguar: Tony Purnell
Toyota: Tsutomu Tomita
Jordan: Eddie Jordan
Minardi: Paul Stoddart
Juan Manuel Fangio
Nelson Piquet
Alain Prost
Ayrton Senna
Jackie Stewart
Martin Brundle
Colin Chapman
Enzo Ferrari
Murray Walker
others...




Last updated: 11-10-2004 16:09:11