Lauda

Time passes and the importance of shaving the last milliseconds off a lap time - of driving around in circles, as Niki Lauda famously put it when he retired for the first time mid-race weekend in 1979 - diminishes.

Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is to sell his collection of race cars driven by motorsport legends including Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.

The collection includes Ferraris driven by world champions Schumacher, Lauda and Mike Hawthorn, as well as Brabham cars raced by Piquet and Carlos Pace, among others.

Also included are the Brabham BT46B, dubbed the 'fan car' and designed by Gordon Murray, which Lauda drew to victory at the 1978 Swedish GP and the BT45C in which the Austrian made his debut for Ecclestone's team the same year.

Leclerc has compiled a series of spectacular pole positions across his career, and with 24 is already 12th in the all-time list - equal with three-time champions Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.