Formula One racing champion Niki Lauda, founder of Austrian airlines Lauda Air and Niki, died Monday at the age of 70. The Niki brand had merged into Air Berlin, and when Air Berlin ceased service, Lauda acquired it back and sold it to Ryanair, where it now operates as the subsidiary Laudamotion. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said Lauda was "an exceptional entrepreneur whose courage and fighting spirit inspired millions" and whose "spirit and vision will live on in Laudamotion." Lauda Air, founded in 1979, fully merged into Austrian Airlines in 2013.