Born on February 22, 1949 in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy family, he became a racing driver in 1968 and began racing in Formula One with the March team in 1973. Joining Ferrari in 1974, he won his first Grand Prix, and his first world championship in 1975.
In 1976, Lauda suffered horrific injuries at a crash at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Near death, he nevertheless managed to get back into his Ferrari six weeks after his accident. In one of the most famous World Championship finishes in history, he lost the championship to James Hunt when he withdrew from the last race of the year in Japan after only two laps because of the dangerously wet conditions.
Lauda easily won the 1977 championship despite only winning three races.
After leaving Ferrari to join Brabham in 1978, Lauda endured two unsuccessful seasons, notable mainly for his one race in a radical design which used fan-assisted aerodynamics. The vehicle won its only race and was then promptly banned. In mid-1979, Lauda left to found his own airline.
Lauda returned to racing in 1982 when his airline was struggling financially, winning a third and final championship with McLaren in 1984.
He returned to running his airline, Lauda Air, on his retirement in 1985. Ousted by boardroom politics in 1999, he now managed the Jaguar Formula One racing team.
As a driver, Lauda was renowned for his clear-headed approach to driving, minimising risk whilst maximising results, and ruthless self-interest.