Niki Lauda suffered a fiery crash at Nürburgring during the 1976 season, one that resulted in his crash helmet getting burned. His burned helmet is now set to go up for auction. According to reports, the helmet will be sold for a whopping $60,000.
As per The Telegraph, the helmet would be on display during the Miami GP weekend and would go up for auction on the 4th of May. Bonhams Cars will present the auction on that day. The auction will also feature the sale of two other iconic helmets – Michael Schumacher’s 1997 Italian GP helmet and Nigel Mansell’s 1989/90 helmet.
As revealed by the Lauda family and Bonhams, part of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICEF. Speaking of the same, Lauda’s son said, “We are delighted that our father’s legacy continues to provide help and assistance to those in most need.”
Lauda was leading the 1976 F1 world championship from his rival, James Hunt. Then, at the German Grand Prix, despite Lauda’s initial apprehension to drive the ‘Green Hell‘, owing to the weather conditions, the race went ahead anyway.
Lauda’s worst fears came true as he ended up crashing on the second lap of the race. The resulting contact of his Ferrari 312 T2 with the barriers resulted in his car going up in flames.
While Lauda was fortunate to survive the crash, he did suffer severe burns. Moreover, his lungs were also filled with toxic fumes because of the wreckage.
That’s not it as since he was in a coma in a hospital, he was also given his last rites. However, much to everyone’s surprise, he survived. This is also only of the key reasons why Lauda’s burned helmet was one of the most significant in F1 history.
How Niki Lauda cemented himself as the greatest icon of Formula 1
After his horrific crash at the 1976 German GP, Niki Lauda chose to give up the title fight that season. He chose to retire from the season finale in Fuji after he deemed the conditions way too dangerous to race.
While Lauda gave up the title fight in 1976, he bounced back in 1977 and won his second championship with Ferrari. He then decided to retire from the sport at the end of the 1979 season before making a sensational comeback with McLaren in 1982.
In his third season with McLaren in 1984, Lauda managed to beat teammate Alain Prost for the championship by just half a point. However, since he only managed to finish tenth in the championship in 1985, he chose to retire from F1.
After retiring as a driver, he served teams like Ferrari and Jaguar as a consultant and team principal respectively. However, his stint with Mercedes during the turbo-hybrid era was arguably the most successful.
As a non-executive chairman for the German outfit, he helped them to win five consecutive Constructors’ Championships before he eventually passed away in 2019. Since Lauda played such a crucial role in F1, both as a driver and an advisor, his contribution to the sport is remembered by many until today.
