Top 5 Austrian F1 drivers of all time

#1 Niki Lauda

Niki Lauda took Ferrari from the doldrums to championship winners in a few years.

Niki Lauda is perhaps best known these days for his direct and no-nonsense comments about the sport we all love, but he was absolutely ruthless as a driver too.

After 3 years spent with March and BRM between 1971 and '73, Lauda was tasked with bringing Ferrari back to the forefront of the sport in 1974, after the Scuderia hadn't won a championship for a decade. Niki's first win came at Spain that year and the seeds of recovery were firmly planted in Maranello. 1975 brought Lauda's first driver's world championship, winning 5 Grands Prix along the way.

1976 could've easily been the end of the road for Lauda, after the Austrian was nearly burned alive in a horrifying accident at the old Nurburgring, the green hell living up to its infamous name.

Niki had led the championship comfortably to that point and was lucky to escape with his life, before he sensationally returned to racing at the Italian Grand Prix, 5 weeks after his near-death experience.

Lauda would miss out on the title that year, but 1977 was his redemption year, with another 3 wins getting him his second driver's title. On a side-note, Lauda is the man with the second-most wins for Ferrari in F1 with 15 in total, no prizes for guessing who beats him to top spot there. Niki would move to Brabham for 1978, a team that had a fast car (he finished on the podium every time he made the chequered flag), but it was woefully unreliable, retiring more often than not. That poor finishing record was exaggerated in 1979, and the Austrian legend retired ahead of 1980.

Lauda was coaxed out of retirement by McLaren for 1982, and he'd come out on top in another epic title scrap in 1984, beating his teammate Alain Prost by half a point, the smallest winning margin ever. Undoubtedly one of the best drivers in F1 history.

But who do you think is the best F1 driver to come out of Austria? Is Luada or another legend? Let us know in the comments below!