Niki Lauda is a racing driver from Austria who last raced in Formula 1 for McLaren. Lauda is a three-time champion (1975, 1977, 1984), with 25 wins and 54 podiums from 173 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 5,364 ranks Lauda 210th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1985-11-03 | Adelaide Street Circuit | DNF | — |
| 1985-10-19 | Kyalami | DNF | −10 |
| 1985-09-08 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | DNF | −60 |
| 1985-08-25 | Circuit Park Zandvoort | P1 | +120 |
| 1985-08-18 | Red Bull Ring | DNF | −25 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | ▸Formula 1 | McLaren | 14 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 14 | P10 | −367 | 5,929 |
| 1984 | ▸Formula 1 | McLaren | 16 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 72 | P1 | +1,022 | 6,296 |
| 1983 | ▸Formula 1 | McLaren | 14 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 12 | P10 | −403 | 5,274 |
| 1982 | ▸Formula 1 | McLaren | 14 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 30 | P5 | +439 | 5,677 |
| 1979 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham-Ford | 14 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | P14 | −1,025 | 5,238 |
| 1978 | ▸Formula 1 | Brabham | 16 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 44 | P4 | −674 | 6,264 |
| 1977 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 15 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 72 | P1 | +443 | 6,938 |
| 1976 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 14 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 68 | P2 | +344 | 6,496 |
| 1975 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 65 | P1 | +1,257 | 6,151 |
| 1974 | ▸Formula 1 | Ferrari | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 38 | P4 | +489 | 4,894 |
| 1973 | ▸Formula 1 | BRM | 14 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | P17 | −204 | 4,405 |
| 1972 | ▸Formula 1 | March | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | P22 | −124 | 4,609 |
| 1971 | ▸Formula 1 | March-Ford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P23 | −68 | 4,732 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇷 Emerson Fittipaldi | 3,999 | 47 | 30 | 17 | 64% |
| 🇦🇷 Carlos Reutemann | 5,765 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 68% |
| 🇨🇭 Clay Regazzoni | 5,253 | 41 | 28 | 13 | 68% |
| 🇿🇦 Jody Scheckter | 5,599 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 69% |
| 🇬🇧 John Watson | 5,367 | 38 | 35 | 3 | 92% |
| 🇸🇪 Ronnie Peterson | 5,168 | 36 | 22 | 14 | 61% |
| 🇫🇷 Patrick Depailler | 5,068 | 33 | 26 | 7 | 79% |
| 🇫🇷 Jacques Laffite | 5,186 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 84% |
| 🇩🇪 Jochen Mass | 5,075 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 87% |
| 🇬🇧 James Hunt | 4,930 | 27 | 14 | 13 | 52% |
Niki Lauda was an Austrian Formula 1 driver who competed across 13 seasons from 1971 to 1985, accumulating 173 starts and establishing himself as a consistent frontrunner in a competitive era. He won three World Drivers' Championships, in 1975, 1977, and 1984, and finished on the podium 54 times, a record at the time of his retirement. His 25 Grand Prix victories came predominantly with Ferrari and McLaren, and he remains the only driver to win the championship with both teams. His average finishing position across classified races was 4.3, placing him among the stronger professional grids of his era.[1]
Lauda's competitive record against his peers demonstrates consistent excellence across a field that included multiple champions. He finished ahead of two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi on 30 occasions against 17 defeats across 47 shared races, and held a dominant head-to-head record against one-time champion Jody Scheckter, beating him 27 times to 12. Against stronger drivers, he regularly finished ahead of five-time champion Alain Prost, winning that battle 8 times, and also beat two-time champion Ayrton Senna on 6 occasions. His record against John Watson, whom he encountered frequently, was notably lopsided at 35 wins to just 3 defeats. He demonstrated versatility across multiple teams, with 58 starts for Ferrari among his career total.[2]
Lauda's career extended into the mid-1980s, with his final season in 1985 yielding one win and one podium from 14 rounds before his retirement. His legacy encompasses not only his championship titles and podium record but his influence across multiple roles in motorsport and aviation after his retirement from driving.