Sad news: Lewis Hamilton is now suffering in the hospital and struggling for survival

Since 1976, helmet has been privately held in F1 memorabilia collections but now, for first time, will be publicly available to buy

The burnt helmet worn by Niki Lauda when he suffered his fiery accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 is being put up for auction by Bonhams at next week’s Miami Grand Prix. It is expected to fetch up to $60,000.

Lauda, who died in 2019, was one of Formula One’s most revered figures, having won the world drivers’ title three times before going on to become an entrepreneur who founded and ran three airlines. The Austrian was also instrumental in Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, in his role as non-executive chairman of Mercedes-Benz motorsport.

Lauda’s second and third world titles were all the more remarkable for the fact that they came after he survived a near-fatal accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix, which left him permanently disfigured.

Then aged 27, and the reigning world champion, Lauda was leading that year’s championship when his Ferrari 312T2 burst into flames following a crash, nearly killing him after he inhaled toxic fumes. He was famously read the Last Rites in hospital by a priest, an act he later said upset him so much it made him more determined to survive.

Lauda not only survived, he made a miraculous comeback just six weeks later at the Italian Grand Prix.