Niki Lauda, a three-time Formula 1 champion and most recently nonexecutive chairman of the Mercedes F1 team, died Monday at the age of 70.
Several European news outlets reported the news late Monday.
The Guardian reported, “With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday,” the family said in a statement, according to the Austrian press agency.
Lauda had been of ill health. He had a lung transplant in 2018, as well as kidney transplants in 1997 and 2005.
Lauda was the F1 champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984. He was severely burned and nearly died in a crash at the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1976. While some thought he might not even survive his injuries, Lauda rallied to find his way back into a race car just six weeks later, finishing fourth at Monza.
In his career that spanned 1971 through 1985, the Austrian driving legend won 25 races and scored 24 poles.
