{"id":240015,"date":"2023-05-05T08:16:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T06:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/niki-lauda-the-f1-and-beyond\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:39:56","slug":"niki-lauda-the-f1-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/niki-lauda-the-f1-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Niki Lauda: career, three titles, the 1976 N\u00fcrburgring crash and Mercedes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Niki Lauda (Vienna, 22 February 1949 &#8211; 20 May 2019) was a three-time Formula 1 world champion, in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren, and won 25 Grands Prix. He is remembered for the N\u00fcrburgring crash of 1 August 1976, from which he returned to the track six weeks later, for the withdrawal at Fuji that handed the 1976 title to James Hunt by a single point, for the airline Lauda Air and, in his last years, for his role as non-executive chairman of Mercedes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Updated in October 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On 1 August 1976, at the N\u00fcrburgring, Niki Lauda&#8217;s Ferrari caught fire. Six weeks later, at Monza, he was back behind the wheel and finished fourth. Then, at Fuji, in the rain, he retired: and the title went to James Hunt by a single point. Of Lauda&#8217;s whole career, these two choices, to return and to stop, are the ones that best explain why people still talk about him.<\/p>\n<h2>Niki Lauda at a glance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Birth and death: Vienna, 22 February 1949; 20 May 2019, aged 70 (Wikipedia, Irish Times).<\/li>\n<li>World titles: three, in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren (Wikipedia, Formula1.com).<\/li>\n<li>Wins: 25 Grands Prix (Wikipedia, Irish Times).<\/li>\n<li>1976: crash at the N\u00fcrburgring on 1 August, fourth at Monza six weeks later, withdrawal at Fuji and the title to Hunt by a point.<\/li>\n<li>Off the track: the airline Lauda Air, then the low-cost carrier Niki, and until his death the non-executive chairmanship of Mercedes.<\/li>\n<li>Health: kidney transplants in 1997 and 2005 and a lung transplant in August 2018 (Irish Times, Wikipedia).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>From the early years to Ferrari<\/h2>\n<p>Lauda raced in Formula 1 with BRM in 1973 and moved to Ferrari: in 1974 it was Enzo Ferrari who signed him (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). In 1975 came the first world title (Wikipedia, Formula1.com, Motor Sport Magazine).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/niki_lauda_1975_watkins_glen.jpg\" alt=\"Niki Lauda at the wheel of the Ferrari at the 1975 United States Grand Prix, at Watkins Glen\" width=\"596\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>1976: the N\u00fcrburgring, Monza and Fuji<\/h2>\n<p>On 1 August 1976, at the German Grand Prix, Lauda&#8217;s Ferrari caught fire on the old N\u00fcrburgring (Wikipedia). Brett Lunger, Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards and Harald Ertl pulled him out (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). He suffered severe burns to his face, head and hands, lost part of his right ear and inhaled toxic fumes (Irish Times, Formula1.com).<\/p>\n<p>On 12 September, six weeks later, he was on the grid of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and finished fourth (Wikipedia, Irish Times, Formula1.com): the championship was still open. In the last race, in Japan, in pouring rain, he retired after the first lap, his vision reduced by eyelids damaged in the burns (Formula1.com). James Hunt won the title by a single point (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). The rivalry is also told in the article on <a href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/james-hunt-the-fastest-hippy-of-formula-1\/\">James Hunt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/niki_lauda_-_ferrari_312t2_-_1976_race_of_champions_brands_hatch-559x400.jpg\" alt=\"Niki Lauda's Ferrari 312T2 cornering at Druids, at Brands Hatch, at the 1976 Race of Champions\" width=\"559\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>The second title and Brabham<\/h2>\n<p>In 1977 Lauda won his second title and left Ferrari (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). He moved to Brabham, with whom he won two races in 1978 (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). In 1979, during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, he announced his retirement: he no longer wanted to drive round in circles (Formula1.com). After retiring he founded the airline Lauda Air (Formula1.com, Irish Times).<\/p>\n<h2>The return with McLaren and the third title<\/h2>\n<p>In 1982 he came back with McLaren and won the third race of the season, at Long Beach (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). In 1984 he won his third title, beating his team-mate Alain Prost by half a point (Wikipedia, Formula1.com). In 1985 he won his last Grand Prix, in the Netherlands, and stopped for good (Wikipedia, Formula1.com).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/niki_lauda_1982_british_gp-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Niki Lauda at the 1982 British Grand Prix, the first year of his comeback\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Lauda Air, Niki and Mercedes<\/h2>\n<p>Away from the track Lauda was an air-transport entrepreneur: Lauda Air, sold in 1999, then the low-cost airline Niki, which merged into Air Berlin in 2011 (Irish Times, Wikipedia). Until his death he was non-executive chairman of Mercedes (Wikipedia, Formula1.com, Motor Sport Magazine), a team that from 2014 onwards dominated the turbo-hybrid era of F1 (Formula1.com).<\/p>\n<p>In 2018 he had a lung transplant, after kidney transplants in 1997 and 2005 (Irish Times, Wikipedia). He died on 20 May 2019, aged 70 (Wikipedia, Irish Times).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/susie_wolff_niki_lauda-scaled-1-600x398.jpg\" alt=\"Niki Lauda with Susie Wolff in 2014\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What it teaches sponsors<\/h2>\n<p>Lauda&#8217;s two careers, driver and entrepreneur, show two things, and they are our reading, not published figures. The first is that a driver&#8217;s image is not exhausted by his results: the choice to stop at Fuji and the one to return at Monza weigh in the memory as much as a title. The second is that a name built on the track can become an asset for teams and companies decades later. It is the ground of <a href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/formula-1-sponsorship\/\">Formula 1 sponsorship<\/a>, found again in partnerships like the one described in the article on <a href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/the-petronas-mercedes-f1-sponsorship-creating-great-partnerships-from-sponsorship-deals\/\">Petronas and Mercedes<\/a>. For a comparison with other greats, there is the guide to the <a href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blogs\/the-best-drivers-of-formula-1-ever\/\">best Formula 1 drivers of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lauda decided twice to stop and twice to come back. What remains open is the question his case puts to anyone who works with athletes: what is it worth to a brand to have someone who knows when not to race?<\/p>\n<div class=\"new-blog-inline-cta\"><\/p><div><strong>Want to take your brand into Formula 1?<\/strong><br \/>RTR Sports Marketing has been building motorsport sponsorships since 1995.<\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/formula-1-sponsorship\/\" class=\"btn\" style=\"white-space: nowrap; margin: 10px;\">Formula 1 Sponsorship<\/a><br \/><\/div>\n<p><em>Images: Lauda at the 1975 United States Grand Prix (<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Niki_Lauda_1975_Watkins_Glen.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian Sinclair<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>); the Ferrari 312T2 at Brands Hatch in 1976 (<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Niki_Lauda_-_Ferrari_312T2_-_1976_Race_of_Champions,_Brands_Hatch.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Martin Lee<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>); Lauda at the 1982 British Grand Prix (<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Niki_Lauda_1982_British_GP.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Martin Lee<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>); Lauda with Susie Wolff in 2014 (<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Susie_Wolff,_Niki_Lauda.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Ormston<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Niki_Lauda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wikipedia, Niki Lauda<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1976_Italian_Grand_Prix\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wikipedia, the 1976 Italian Grand Prix<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.formula1.com\/en\/latest\/article\/niki-lauda-an-f1-legend-remembered.22UIF6kuLmlGFiqeKr0wEz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Formula1.com, Niki Lauda remembered by David Tremayne<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.formula1.com\/en\/information\/drivers-hall-of-fame-niki-lauda.2Ye7VYWdXwhb97ZqLyxvX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Formula1.com, Niki Lauda in the Drivers&#8217; Hall of Fame<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/articles\/single-seaters\/f1\/racing-world-pays-tribute-niki-lauda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Motor Sport Magazine, the racing world pays tribute to Niki Lauda<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/life-and-style\/people\/niki-lauda-obituary-formula-one-road-warrior-who-pushed-limits-1.3902256\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Irish Times, Niki Lauda&#8217;s obituary<\/a>; RTR Sports Marketing, motorsport sponsorship.<\/p>\n    <div itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/FAQPage\" class=\"faq-schema-wrapper question-list-wrap\">\r\n\r\n                    <h2><b>Frequently asked questions<\/b><\/h2>\r\n        \r\n        <\/p>\n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>How many world titles did Niki Lauda win?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nThree: in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren, beating his team-mate Alain Prost by half a point. He won 25 Grands Prix (Wikipedia, Formula1.com, Irish Times).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>What happened to Niki Lauda at the N\u00fcrburgring in 1976?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nOn 1 August 1976, at the German Grand Prix, his Ferrari caught fire. He was pulled from the car by Brett Lunger, Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards and Harald Ertl and suffered severe burns to his face, head and hands. He returned to the track six weeks later, at Monza, and finished fourth (Wikipedia, Formula1.com, Irish Times).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>When did Niki Lauda retire?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nThe first time in 1979, during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, when he was driving for Brabham. He came back in 1982 with McLaren and stopped for good in 1985, after his last win in the Netherlands (Wikipedia, Formula1.com).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>How did Niki Lauda die?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nHe died on 20 May 2019, aged 70. He had undergone kidney transplants in 1997 and 2005 and a lung transplant in August 2018 (Irish Times, Wikipedia).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>Who won the 1976 championship, Lauda or Hunt?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nJames Hunt, by a single point. Lauda, after the N\u00fcrburgring crash, retired at Fuji, in the last race, in pouring rain (Wikipedia, Formula1.com).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n    <div itemscope itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" class=\"faq-item question-list-row\">\r\n\r\n        <h3 class=\"h5\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n            <b>What did Niki Lauda do after Formula 1?<\/b>\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n\r\n        <div itemscope itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n            <div itemprop=\"text\" class=\"question-answer\">\r\n                <p>\nHe founded and ran airlines: Lauda Air, sold in 1999, and the low-cost carrier Niki, which merged into Air Berlin in 2011. Until his death he was non-executive chairman of Mercedes (Irish Times, Wikipedia, Formula1.com).<\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n<p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Niki Lauda (Vienna, 22 February 1949 &#8211; 20 May 2019) was a three-time Formula 1 world champion, in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren, and won 25 Grands Prix. He is remembered for the N\u00fcrburgring crash of 1 August 1976, from which he returned to the track six weeks later, for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1-en"],"acf":[],"contentshake_article_id":"","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Niki Lauda: career, three titles, N\u00fcrburgring 1976<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Niki Lauda: three world titles (1975, 1977, 1984), 25 wins, the 1976 N\u00fcrburgring crash, the Monza return, Lauda Air and Mercedes. 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