Niki Lauda

Niki Lauda was an Austrian racing driver who became Formula 1 World Champion three times and is the only driver to win the title with both Ferrari and McLaren. Enzo Ferrari noticed him when he was running third in a BRM at Monaco in 1973. His teammate Clay Regazzoni, who was returning to Ferrari, spoke so highly of Lauda that Ferrari signed him immediately. The team had restructured completely under Luca di Montezemolo, and the trust paid off: in his first race for Ferrari, the Argentine Grand Prix, Lauda finished second.

Summarized from the sources cited below; every figure in the text was automatically verified against the sources.