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During his 13 seasons in Formula 1, Niki Lauda made a lasting mark on the sport and racked up remarkable statistics, many of which have stood the test of time for more than four decades.
13: Niki Lauda competed in Formula 1 for 13 seasons. He made his debut in 1971, competing only in the Austrian Grand Prix, and ended his racing career with McLaren in 1985. In the middle of the 1979 season, he retired, stating that he was “tired of going round in circles,” before returning to the circuits in 1982. 3: With three world titles, Lauda joins the very exclusive group of ten drivers who have won the championship three times. He is the fourth driver to have achieved this milestone, after Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, and Jackie Stewart. 25: With 25 Grand Prix victories, Lauda ranks tenth among the most successful drivers of all time. When he retired in 1985, he was tied with Jim Clark in second place, behind Jackie Stewart, who had 27 wins at the time. 15: In Ferrari's history, Lauda ranks second with 15 wins, behind Michael Schumacher. He also shares second place in the Scuderia's championship title rankings with Alberto Ascari, behind Schumacher. 54: Nicknamed “the computer,” the Austrian has been on the podium 54 times, placing him 15th among the most prolific drivers in this statistic.
171: Lauda started in 171 Formula 1 races, placing him 31st among drivers with the most Grand Prix starts.
Qualifying records
6'58”6: In 1975, Lauda became the only driver to break the seven-minute barrier on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, completing the 20.6 km circuit in 6 minutes 58.6 seconds at an average speed of 196.383 km/h. At the time, the circuit was two kilometers longer than it is today. By way of comparison, the fastest homologated production car, a Porsche 911 GT2 RS “MR,” completes the same lap in 6 minutes 40.3 seconds (118.4 mph).
58.790: Lauda's pole position lap at the 1974 French Grand Prix in Dijon was clocked at 58.790 seconds, a record that stood until Valtteri Bottas beat it with a lap of 53.377 seconds at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
290: In his accident at the Nürburgring in 1976, Lauda lost control of his Ferrari in the Bergwerk corner at approximately 290 km/h. (See also his rivalry with James Hunt.)
6: After hanging up his helmet, Lauda served as non-executive director of Mercedes from 2012 to 2019, during which time the team won six drivers' and constructors' championships.
1: He won only one Grand Slam in his career. 5: Lauda's most successful seasons were 1975 and 1976, when he won five races each; in 1976, he achieved those five victories in just nine Grand Prix races (before the German Grand Prix).
420.5:During his career, Lauda accumulated 420.5 championship points under the old scoring system. 1/2: At the end of the 1984 season, his last title year, the gap between Lauda and Alain Prost was only half a point, the smallest margin ever recorded in the history of the sport.
