Within six weeks of the Nurburgring accident Niki Lauda was back behind the wheel.
He fought for his life for several days following the accident and suffered horrendous burns to his head and face.
Part of one of his ears was burnt off and his tear duct mechanism was severely damaged which affected his vision in subsequent races.
Lauda won the World Championship a total of three times – in 1975, 1977 and 1984. He retired from F1 in 1985.
Before the 1976 accident he had been well on course to win it again – but eventually lost by just one point to James Hunt.
At the end of the 1970s he launched his own airline Lauda Air, which was later sold to Austrian Airlines.
He managed the Jaguar F1 racing team from 2001-2. In late 2003 he launched another airline, Niki.
Guy Edwards was awarded a Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his bravery.
