Hans Lauda

Hans Lauda (25 March 1896 – 21 January 1974) His father Ernst Lauda worked in hydraulic engineering and bridge construction. Lauda studied at the Theresianum, He was known as "Old Lauda". After the Anschluss, Lauda was removed from his position in the company.

In 1946, Lauda co-founded the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), and was president of the organisation until 1960. In 1949, he was cited in a New York Times report on the progress of the Marshall Plan. He reported that Austria would employ 20,000 former government officials. He served as chairman of the Association of Industrialists, and in 1951, he proposed a successful bill to freeze wages, to try and counteract inflation in the country. Lauda was also a president of the Austrian Red Cross, Hans was critical of Niki's Formula One ambitions, saying that "A Lauda should be on the economic pages of the newspaper, not the sports pages."

In 1971, Hans and Niki Lauda had an argument, after Hans vetoed funding for Niki to pay for a drive in the 1972 Formula One season with March Engineering. The pair never spoke again.