Editing Niki Lauda (section)

==Early years in racing==
[[File:Lauda, Niki 1973-07-06.jpg|thumb|upright|Lauda at the [[Nürburgring]] in {{F1|1973}}, three years before his accident]]
Niki Lauda was born on 22 February 1949 in [[Vienna]], Austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family.<ref name="Augustyn">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Niki Lauda – Facts, Biography, & Crash |encyclopedia=[[Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Niki-Lauda |access-date=2024-12-31 |last=Augustyn |first=Adam |orig-date=2013-09-12 |publication-date=2024-08-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907204857/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Niki-Lauda |archive-date=7 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Moulson">{{Cite news |last=Moulson |first=Geir |title=Three-time F1 champ, aviation entrepreneur Niki Lauda passes away at 70 |url=https://www.spin.ph/multisport/f1-champion-and-aviation-entrepreneur-niki-lauda-dies-at-70-a2338-20190521 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604002736/https://www.spin.ph/multisport/f1-champion-and-aviation-entrepreneur-niki-lauda-dies-at-70-a2338-20190521 |archive-date=4 June 2019 |access-date=4 June 2019 |work=Spin.ph}}</ref> His paternal grandfather was the Viennese-born industrialist [[Hans Lauda]].<ref name="aeiou">{{cite web|url=http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.l/l265000.htm|title=Lauda, Hans|work=www.aeiou.at|access-date=16 May 2010|language=de|archive-date=11 October 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991011214114/http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.l/l265000.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="die-namenslosen">{{cite web|url=http://www.die-namenlosen.at/hof_lauda1.html|title=Sportreport.at – Hall of Fame – die Besten der Besten|work=www.die-namenlosen.at|access-date=16 May 2010|language=de}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dobie |first=Stephen |date=21 May 2019 |title=Niki Lauda has sadly passed away |url=https://www.topgear.com/car-news/niki-lauda-has-sadly-passed-away |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521073422/https://www.topgear.com/car-news/niki-lauda-has-sadly-passed-away |archive-date=21 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |website=Top Gear}}</ref> After starting out with a [[Mini]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/obituary-niki-lauda-1949-2019 |title=Obituary: Niki Lauda, 1949-2019 |work=Motorsport Magazine |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603193007/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/obituary-niki-lauda-1949-2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lauda moved on into [[Formula Vee]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/niki-lauda-passes-away-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-austrian-formula-one-legend-who-defied-death-on-the-tracks-6672641.html |title=Niki Lauda passes away: All you need to know about the Austrian Formula One legend who defied death on the tracks |work=First Post |date=21 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603192957/https://www.firstpost.com/sports/niki-lauda-passes-away-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-austrian-formula-one-legend-who-defied-death-on-the-tracks-6672641.html |url-status=live }}</ref> as was normal in [[Central Europe]], but rapidly moved up to drive in private [[Porsche in motorsport|Porsche]] and [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron]] sports cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17653612.obituary-niki-lauda-three-times-f1-world-champion-who-recovered-from-horrific-accident/ |title=Obituary: Niki Lauda, three-times F1 World Champion who recovered from horrific accident |work=Herald Scotland |date=21 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524043642/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17653612.obituary-niki-lauda-three-times-f1-world-champion-who-recovered-from-horrific-accident/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With his career stalled, he took out a [[British pound|£]]30,000 bank loan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://autoaction.com.au/2019/05/21/vale-niki-lauda|title=Vale: Niki Lauda|work=Auto Action |date=21 May 2019|access-date=23 May 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603193000/https://autoaction.com.au/2019/05/21/vale-niki-lauda|url-status=live}}</ref> secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling [[March Engineering|March]] team as a [[Formula Two]] driver in 1971.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kanal |first=Samarth |date=2019-05-21 |title=That was the power and the persuasiveness that Niki Lauda had |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/was-power-and-persuasiveness-niki-lauda-had |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528085428/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/was-power-and-persuasiveness-niki-lauda-had |archive-date=28 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |magazine=[[Motorsport Magazine]]}}</ref> Because of his family's disapproval, he had an ongoing feud with them over his racing ambitions and abandoned further contact.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 June 2022 |title="Was sind überhaupt Freunde?" |trans-title=What are friends anyway? |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/reden-wir-ueber-geld-niki-lauda-freunde-was-sind-ueberhaupt-freunde-1.972224 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615100229/https://www.sueddeutsche.de/geld/reden-wir-ueber-geld-niki-lauda-freunde-was-sind-ueberhaupt-freunde-1.972224 |access-date=2024-12-06 |archive-date=2022-06-15|website=Süddeutsche.de |page=9 |language=de}}</ref>

Lauda was quickly promoted to the Formula One team but drove for March in Formula One and Formula Two in 1972. Although the latter cars were good and Lauda's driving skills impressed March principal [[Robin Herd]], March's 1972 Formula One season was catastrophic. Perhaps the lowest point of the team's season came at the Canadian Grand Prix at [[Mosport Park]], where both March cars were disqualified within three laps of each other, just past three-quarters of the race distance. Lauda took out another bank loan to buy his way into the [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] team in 1973. Lauda was instantly quick, but the team was in decline; although the BRM P160E was fast and easy to drive it was not reliable and its engine lacked power. Lauda's popularity was on the rise after he was running third at the Monaco Grand Prix that year before a gearbox failure ended his race prematurely, resulting in [[Enzo Ferrari]] becoming interested. When his BRM teammate [[Clay Regazzoni]] left to rejoin [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] in 1974, team owner Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda. Regazzoni spoke so favorably of Lauda that Ferrari promptly signed him, paying him enough to clear his debts.