5 things you may not have known about Niki Lauda

#3 Most of his trophies are now scrap metal

He said the trophies were ‘useless’

After a less-than-ideal first season in Formula One, Lauda had another two slow seasons before 1974, his debut year with Scuderia Ferrari. That year, he finished the championship in 4th, winning two of the year’s 16 races and finishing on the podium on 5 occasions.

1975 was his breakthrough year, and with 5 wins and another three podium finishes, Lauda won his first ever World Drivers’ Championship. He ended that year with a number of trophies, but he did not covet them as possessions.

Lauda said he had too many “useless” trophies, and ended up donating them to a garage in his native Austria. He exchanged them for something more useful, receiving car washes in exchange for his silverware.