Add Category
Updated
Three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda, who won two of his world titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation industry, has died aged 70.
Key points:
- Niki Lauda won three Formula One championships in 1975, 1977 and 1984
- Lauda survived a horrific crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix, in which he suffered severe burns to his face and body
- He was heavily involved in the aviation industry, having established Lauda Air
Lauda's family released a statement saying he "passed away peacefully".
"With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday, May 20, 2019," the statement read.
"His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain a role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed."
One of Lauda's former teams, McLaren, paid tribute to the Austrian, who won his third world title with the British-based operation in 1984.
"All at McLaren are deeply saddened to learn that our friend, colleague and 1984 Formula 1 World Champion, Niki Lauda, has passed away," the team tweeted.
"Niki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history."
Lauda won first world championship with Ferrari in 1975, a year before he was badly burned when he crashed at the Nuerburgring during the German Grand Prix.
Several drivers stopped to help pull him from the burning car, but the accident scarred him for life.
"The main damage, I think to myself, was lung damage from inhaling all the flames and fumes while I was sitting in the car for about 50 seconds," he recalled nearly a decade later.
"It was something like 800 degrees."
Lauda fell into a coma for a time. He said "for three or four days it was touch and go."
"Then my lungs recovered and I got my skin grafts done, then basically there was nothing left," he said.
"I was really lucky in a way that I didn't do any [other] damage to myself. So the real question was then will I be able to drive again, because certainly it was not easy to come back after a race like that."
Lauda's death came nine months after he underwent a lung transplant. In January he had been hospitalised for about 10 days while suffering from influenza.
Lauda initially 'shaking with fear' on return to racing
Just six weeks after his shocking crash, Lauda made his comeback at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing fourth at Monza after overcoming his initial fears.
He recalled "shaking with fear" as he changed into second gear on the first day of practice and thinking "I can't drive".
The next day, Lauda said he "started very slowly trying to get all the feelings back, especially the confidence that I'm capable of driving these cars again".
The result, he said, boosted his confidence, and after four or five races "I had basically overcome the problem of having an accident and everything went back to normal".
Lauda won his second world championship in 1977, before switching to Brabham and then retiring in 1979 to concentrate on setting up his airline, Lauda Air, declaring he "didn't want to drive around in circles any more".
He came out of retirement in 1982 after a big-money offer from McLaren, reportedly worth about $3 million a year.
Lauda finished fifth in his first year back and 10th in 1983, but came back to win five races and edge out teammate Alain Prost for his third title in 1984.
He retired for good the following year, saying he needed more time to devote to his airline business, and he occasionally took the controls of the airline's jets himself over the years.
In 1997, longtime rival Austrian Airlines took a minority stake and in 2000, with the company making losses, he resigned as board chairman, with Austrian Airlines later taking full control.
Lauda twice underwent kidney transplants, receiving an organ donated by his brother in 1997 and, when that stopped functioning well, a kidney donated by his girlfriend in 2005.
AP/Reuters
Topics: sport, motor-sports, formula-1, austria
First posted