Top 20 Best F1 Drivers of all time: Part III

#8 Niki Lauda

Grand Prix of Great Britain

At number 8 on the list is Niki Lauda, a driver that after an appalling accident in 1976 came back to the sport in an amazingly short space of time and medical professionals called his recovery a sheer force of will. It was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport and the amount of courage it must have taken to climb back into the cockpit was unreal.

His break in F1 came in 1973 after he managed to get a rent-a-ride deal with the BRM team, he managed to get decent results throughout the season and was rewarded by being offered a seat by Enzo Ferrari for the 1974 season.

Ferrari at that time had not won a championship since John Surtees in 1965 and were desperate for a talented driver who could win them a title and Niki Lauda was that man, he won a couple of race in the 1974 season but in 1975 he won the drivers’ championship with Italy rejoicing after finally winning a title once again.

Six weeks after suffering his horrific accident in 1976 he was back in the car and finished fourth in the Italian GP even with blood seeping through his bandages. Jackie Stewart was the one that said after that it was the most courageous comeback in the history of the sport.

He won another title with Ferrari in 1977 before retiring from the sport in 1979 after two difficult years at Brabham. He came back in 1982 and signed for McLaren and won his third drivers title in 1984 just beating his young teammate Alain Prost.

Stats

World Championships – 3 (1975, 1977, 1984)

GP Entries - 177

GP Wins – 25

Podiums – 54

Last Win – 1985 Dutch GP