Editing Niki Lauda (section)

{{Short description|Austrian racing driver (1949–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Niki Lauda
| image         = Anefo 933-1302 Niki Lauda 29.10.1984.jpg
| caption       = Lauda in 1984
| birth_name    = Andreas Nikolaus Lauda
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1949|02|22|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Vienna]], [[Allied-occupied Austria]]
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2019|05|20|1949|02|22|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Zürich]], Switzerland
| resting_place = [[Heiligenstädter Friedhof]]
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Marlene Knaus|1976|1991|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Birgit Wetzinger|2008}}
}}
| children      = 4, including [[Mathias Lauda|Mathias]]
| module        = {{Infobox F1 driver|embed=yes
| nationality   = {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Formula One drivers from Austria|Austrian]]
| Years         = {{F1|1971}}–{{F1|1979}}, {{F1|1982}}–{{F1|1985}}
| Team(s)       = [[March Engineering|March]], [[BRM]], [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], [[Brabham]], [[McLaren]]
| Races         = 177 (171 starts) <!-- StatsF1 lists 180 participations for Lauda, out of which AUT-76, NED-76, and CAN-77 are actually non-appearances -->
| Championships = 3 ({{F1|1975}}, {{F1|1977}}, {{F1|1984}})
| Wins          = 25
| Podiums       = 54
| Poles         = 24
| Fastest laps  = 24
| Points        = 420.5
| First race    = [[1971 Austrian Grand Prix]]
| First win     = [[1974 Spanish Grand Prix]]
| Last win      = [[1985 Dutch Grand Prix]]
| Last race     = [[1985 Australian Grand Prix]]
}}
}}

'''Andreas Nikolaus''' "'''Niki'''" '''Lauda''' (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian [[racing driver]], [[motorsport]] executive and [[aviation]] entrepreneur, who competed in [[Formula One]] from {{F1|1971}} to {{F1|1979}} and from {{F1|1982}} to {{F1|1985}}. Lauda won three [[Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles]] and—at the time of his retirement—held the [[List of Formula One driver records|record]] for most [[List of Formula One driver records#Total podium finishes|podium finishes]] (54); he remains the only driver to have won a World Drivers' Championship with both [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] and [[McLaren]], and won 25 [[Formula One Grands Prix|Grands Prix]] across 13 seasons.

Born and raised in [[Vienna]], Lauda was the grandson of local industrialist [[Hans Lauda]]. Starting his career in [[kart racing|karting]], he progressed to [[Formula Vee]] and [[privateer (motorsport)|privateer]] racing in the late 1960s. With his career stalled, Lauda took out a {{Currency|30,000|GBP}} bank loan and secured a place in [[European Formula Two]] with [[March Engineering|March]] in {{F2|1971}}, making his Formula One debut with the team at the {{F1GP|1971|Austrian}}. He was promoted to a full-time seat in {{F1|1972}}, ending the season with a [[Glossary of motorsport terms#N|non-classified]] championship finish, amongst winning the [[British Formula Two Championship]]. Lauda moved to [[BRM]] for the {{F1|1973}} season, scoring his maiden points finish in [[1973 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgium]] and earning a seat with [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] the [[1974 Formula One season|following year]] alongside [[Clay Regazzoni]]. Lauda took his maiden podium [[1974 Argentine Grand Prix|on debut]] for Ferrari, and his maiden victory three races later at the {{F1GP|1974|Spanish}}. After winning five Grands Prix in his {{F1|1975}} campaign, Lauda won his first title, becoming the first [[Scuderia Ferrari#Engine supply|Ferrari-powered]] World Drivers' Champion in [[1964 Formula One season|11 years]]. 

Whilst leading the {{F1|1976}} championship—amidst a [[Hunt-Lauda rivalry|fierce title battle]] with [[James Hunt]]—Lauda was seriously injured during the {{F1GP|1976|German}} at the [[Nürburgring]], suffering severe burns and [[#1976 Nürburgring crash|other life-changing injuries]] as his [[Ferrari 312T2]] caught fire during a crash. He returned to racing six weeks later at the {{F1GP|1976|Italian}}, eventually losing the title to Hunt by one point. Lauda remained at Ferrari in {{F1|1977}}, winning several races on the way to his second championship. Vacating his seat after clinching the title at the {{F1GP|1977|United States}} and replaced by [[Gilles Villeneuve]], Lauda signed with [[Brabham]] in {{F1|1978}}, achieving podiums in every race he finished that season, with victories in [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix|Sweden]] and [[1978 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]]. Amidst a winless {{F1|1979}} season for Brabham alongside [[Nelson Piquet]], Lauda left the team after the {{F1GP|1979|Italian}}, following their move to [[Cosworth DFV|Ford Cosworth V8]] engines. After a two-year hiatus, Lauda returned with [[McLaren]] in {{F1|1982}}, winning multiple races upon his return. After a winless {{F1|1983}} campaign, Lauda was partnered by [[Alain Prost]] the [[1984 Formula One season|following season]], where he beat Prost to his third title by a record [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems#Special cases|half-point]].{{efn|From {{F1|1980}} until {{F1|2022}}, half-points were awarded in Formula One for incomplete races that had run between two laps and 75% of the scheduled race distance.}} Lauda retired at the conclusion of the {{F1|1985}} season—taking his final victory at the {{F1GP|1985|Dutch}}—having achieved 25 race wins, 24 pole positions, 24 fastest laps and 54 podiums in Formula One. 

Outside of Formula One, Lauda won the [[Nürburgring 24 Hours]] in 1973 with [[Alpina]], and the inaugural [[BMW M1 Procar Championship]] in [[1979 BMW M1 Procar Championship|1979]] with [[Project Four Racing|Project Four]]. In aviation, Lauda founded and managed three airlines: [[Lauda Air]] from 1985 to 1999, [[Niki (airline)|Niki]] from 2003 to 2011, and [[Lauda (airline)|Lauda]] from 2016 onwards. He returned to Formula One in an advisory role at Ferrari in {{F1|1993}}, and was the team principal of [[Jaguar Racing|Jaguar]] from {{F1|2001}} to {{F1|2002}}. From {{F1|2012}} until his death, Lauda was the [[Non-executive director|non-executive chairman]] and co-owner of [[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]], winning six consecutive [[World Constructors' Championship]]s with the team from {{F1|2014}} to {{F1|2019}}. Lauda was inducted into the [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]] in 1993.