Niki Lauda

Born in Vienna in 1949, the grandson of an industrialist, Andreas Nikolaus Lauda borrowed £30,000 to buy his way into Formula Two with March in 1971, made his Grand Prix debut that year, and landed at Ferrari by 1974. He won his first world title in 1975, becoming Ferrari's first champion in over a decade. Leading the 1976 championship, his Ferrari 312T2 caught fire in a crash at the Nürburgring; he returned six weeks later at Monza, eventually losing to James Hunt by one point. He won his second title with Ferrari in 1977, moved to Brabham in 1978, then abruptly walked away mid-1979. He returned with McLaren in 1982, and in 1984 - partnered with Alain Prost - beat Prost to his third championship by half a point, the narrowest margin on record. He retired after 1985 with 25 wins and 54 podiums, the only driver to win titles with both Ferrari and McLaren. Beyond racing, he founded three airlines and returned to Formula One as non-executive chairman of Mercedes from 2012 until his death in 2019, overseeing six straight constructors' titles.