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WATCH: The life of an F1 icon - Niki Lauda

2019-05-21 14:51

SNTV

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 1, 1979, Austrian Formula One driver Niki Lauda talks to a mechanic during the Monaco Grand Prix. - Legendary Formula One driver Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70, his family said in a statement released to Austrian media early Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Photo by GERARD FOUET / AFP)

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GALLERY: Remembering F1 legend Niki Lauda

2019-05-21 11:57

F1 legend Niki Lauda has passed away. We look back at the career of the motorsport icon.

When Niki Lauda started the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring he was already a force to be reckoned with in Formula 1. 

The young Austrian had transformed himself from a self-financed driver in 1972 to a world champion with Ferrari in 1975.

WATCH: #RIPNikiLauda - Motorsport stars pay tribute to F1 legend

The 70-year-old was recovering from a lung transplant about eight months ago. According to a statement from his family, Lauda passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, May 20. 

GALLERY: Remembering F1 legend Niki Lauda