1949-02-22 Vienna, Austria
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born 22 February 1949, died 20 May 2019) was an Austrian former Formula One racing driver who was the F1 World Champion three times in 1975, 1977 and 1984. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he founded and ran two airlines (Lauda Air and Niki). He was also the manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years. 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. He passed away peacefully on the 20th May 2019 after complications relating to kidney dialysis and a lung transplant.
