Lauda won the world title three times.
Legendary Austrian racing driver Niki Lauda died aged 70 on Monday in his home city of Vienna. Remembered for returning to Formula 1 just weeks after a catastrophic crash that saw his car engulfed in flames, the three-time world champion is one of the best-known figures in the sport.
Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1949, the young and relatively inexperienced formula one driver rose to prominence after joining a then struggling Ferarri team in 1974. In 1975, he claimed his first world championship.
Lauda’s infamous, near-fatal crash took place during the 1976 German Grand Prix at Nurburgring—a winding circuit in the Eifel mountain range he had warned was unsafe. He was badly injured when his car smashed into an embankment and burst into flames. The crash seriously burnt his head and scarred him for life. Lauda lost the majority of his right ear in the incident. He had to undergo surgery to reconstruct his singed eyelids.
Niki Lauda of Austria and Mercedes during the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 8,2017 in Suzuka. Peter J Fox/Getty Images
Just 40 days after the accident, Lauda was racing again. He competed in the Italian Grand Prix and came fourth. The driver was forced to rip off his balaclava at the end of the race because it had become stuck to his seeping wounds, as the BBC noted.
