Niki Lauda!

Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (Vienna, February 22, 1949) better known as Niki Lauda, ​​is a former racing driver from Austria. He is currently the airline owner Niki.

Participated in the World Championships in Formula 1 between 1971 and 1979 and between 1982 and 1985, competing in 177 Grands Prix, achieving 25 victories, 24 pole positions and 24 fastest laps, totaling 419.5 points. Has won the world champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984. Drove for teams March, BRM, Ferrari, Brabham and McLaren.



[Edit] CarreiraNiki Lauda started his racing career in 1968, especially in Formula 3 and Formula 2 before joining Formula 1, taking a personnel budget for the then small team March. Debuted at Austrian Grand Prix, leaving due to mechanical problems. Remained in the category by the end of 1973 thanks to family money, when Ferrari signed him to be his race driver. In 1974, the Italian team, won his first Grand Prix in Jarama, Spain.

 
Niki Lauda in free practice at the Nürburgring race track, 1976.Em 1975, after five wins (four of them after starting in the first place), has won the world champion for the first time. He kept the competitive pace in 1976, but an accident at the Nurburgring (where his car caught fire, and Lauda was trapped in the wreckage for several minutes) nearly took his life. A priest came to be called to the hospital to give extreme unction. But despite severe burns that cost him parts of the right ear, [1] Lauda still running back that year and only lose the world title in the last race for the Englishman James Hunt. In 1977, he won three victories and regained the world title.

Later that year, leave Ferrari to join the Brabham-Alfa Romeo, directed by Bernie Ecclestone. The partnership earned him two wins and a few podiums in 1978, but the frequency of breaks left him out of contention for the title. In 1979 he scored just four points. Poor results did Lauda direct their attention to the airline that he had just founded, and so left Formula 1.

However, Lauda was invited by McLaren to get back on track in 1982. After just two races to adapt, Lauda win for McLaren in Long Beach (winning a second race, the British Grand Prix). In 1983, unable to accompany the teams with Turbo engine, could do little Lauda in the championship. With four events to the end, McLaren began developing with Porsche, the Austrian driver finished the year in 10th place overall. In 1984, began the year discredited, and his teammate, Alain Prost, was the title favorite. After five wins (against 7, Prost), Lauda would be world champion for the third time with just half a point ahead (Prost scored only half the points - 4.5 - Win the Monaco Grand Prix, which ended prematurely because of rain) . Lauda defended the title in 1985, but without motivation, had only one victory, and dropped 12 of 15 races. His last Grand Prix was the Grand Prix of Australia, who left after an accident.

Lauda spent many years away from Formula 1, aviation managing your business, returning as special technical advisor to Ferrari in the 1990s. In 2001 he was hired by Jaguar to take over as technical director, but the unimpressive results led to the resignation in 2003.