Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthdate
1949-02-22
Day of Death
2019-05-20
Place of Birth
Vienna, Austria
Niki Lauda
Biography
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian former Formula One racing driver who was the F1 World Champion three times in 1975, 1977 and 1984. Lauda was seriously injured in a crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, during which his Ferrari burst into flames and he came close to death after inhaling hot toxic fumes and suffering severe burns. However he recovered and returned to race again just six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix. Scars from the injuries he suffered left him permanently disfigured. The ever-present red cap he wore from 1976 to hide the severe burns he sustained in his accident became his trademark. Lauda is widely considered to be one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. Lauda was an aviation entrepreneur who founded and ran three airlines: Lauda Air, Niki and Lauda. He was also a consultant for Scuderia Ferrari and team manager of Jaguar Racing for two years. Afterwards, Lauda served as non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, of which he owned 10%. He took part in negotiations to sign Lewis Hamilton to a three-year deal with Mercedes in 2013. The time with Mercedes ultimately made Lewis Hamilton the most successful Formula One driver of all time. He passed away peacefully on the 20th May 2019 after complications relating to kidney dialysis and a lung transplant.
Filmography (38)
Mauro Forghieri - Il Calabrone che fece volare la Ferrari
2024
Transition to the Silver War
2023
Hunt vs Lauda: The Next Generation
2022
Origins of the Silver War
2020Niki Nationale - Ein Leben in der Pole-Position
2019
Ferrari 312B
2017
Superswede: A film about Ronnie Peterson
2017
The Green Hell
2017
F1 How It Was
2016
Lauda - The Untold Story
2014
1
2013
Rush
2013
Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals
2013
