F1 legend Niki Lauda dies at 70

VIENNA: Legendary Formula One driver Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70, his family said on Tuesday, triggering an outpouring of praise for a man whose track victories and comeback from a horrific crash enthralled race fans worldwide.

Lauda died at the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland on Monday night surrounded by his closest family members, a spokesperson told AFP. His death comes eight months after he underwent a lung transplant. The family said in a statement that Lauda died peacefully.

“His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain,” it said. “A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed.”

Lauda won the Formula One drivers’ world championship three times, in 1975 and 1977 for Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren, despite a terrible race crash in 1976. An Austrian news report said Lauda was hospitalised for a dialysis earlier this month in Switzerland.

“Everyone at Ferrari is deeply saddened at the news of the death of our dear friend Niki Lauda,” Ferrari said on its Twitter account. “Niki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history. #RIPNiki,” his former team McLaren tweeted on their account.

Lauda had been non-executive chairman at Mercedes F1 since 2012 and he was instrumental in bringing in British driver Lewis Hamilton to spark a run of success that has brought five consecutive world championships. “Forever carried in our hearts, forever immortalised in our history. The motorsport community today mourns the devastating loss of a true legend,” Formula 1 said on Twitter.