Lau ‧ da, Nik ‧ i /ˈlaʊdə, ˈnɪki/ BrE AmE
(1949–) an Austrian racing driver who was Formula One world ↑ champion in 1975, 1977, and 1984. He was badly burned in an accident in 1976 but continued racing for many years. After he ↑ retire d from racing, he started two ↑ airline s : Lauda Air, which was bought by Austrian Arilines in 1999, and Niki which was started in 2003.