Category profile
- Dominance
- 86
- Peak
- 89
- Longevity
- 86
- Honours
- 87
- Statistics
- 86
Career timeline · Race wins per season
| Season | Race wins per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 2 | |
| 1975 | 5 | |
| 1976 | 5 | |
| 1977 | 3 | |
| 1978 | 2 | |
| 1979 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 2 | |
| 1983 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 5 | |
| 1985 | 1 |
Data sources
- FIA
- Formula1.com
- Motorsport Stats
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Niki Lauda ranks #8 in Formula 1
Niki Lauda ranks 8th among Formula 1 athletes on GOAT Rank and 651st of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 89, Longevity 86, Honours 87, Statistics 86. Those categories are normalised against the full Formula 1 reference universe of 146 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.
The record covers 1971–1985 with 12 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1975, which sets the Peak component at 89. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 89 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world titles 3, grand prix wins 25, podiums 54, pole positions 24.
Immediately ahead sits Sebastian Vettel on 87.1, a gap of 0.3 points. Directly behind is Jackie Stewart on 87.2. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.
Niki Lauda GOAT Score explained
- Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
- Measures how far Lauda stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Formula 1 cohort.
- Peak89/100 · weight 20%
- Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1975. Scored 89/100.
- Longevity86/100 · weight 20%
- Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 12 recorded seasons. Scored 86/100.
- Honours87/100 · weight 20%
- Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 87/100.
- Statistics86/100 · weight 15%
- Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 86/100.
Top Lauda comparisons
Niki Lauda — frequently asked
- Is Niki Lauda the GOAT?
- Not on the current data. Niki Lauda ranks 8th in Formula 1 with a GOAT Score of 86.8, behind Lewis Hamilton on 96.1.
- What is Niki Lauda's GOAT Score?
- 86.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 89 (20%), Longevity 86 (20%), Honours 87 (20%), Statistics 86 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
- Where does Niki Lauda rank all time?
- 651st of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 8th within Formula 1.
- Niki Lauda vs Sebastian Vettel: who ranks higher?
- Sebastian Vettel, on 87.1 against Niki Lauda's 86.8 — a margin of 0.3 points.