Niki Lauda won his first Formula One World Championship driving for Ferrari, dominating a 14-race season marked by tragedy and technical superiority.
Key Facts
- Total races
- 14 championship races
- Champion driver
- Niki Lauda (Ferrari)
- Lauda's wins
- 5 race victories
- Season span
- 12 January – 5 October 1975
- Mark Donohue fatality
- Died in August after Austrian GP practice crash
- Season number
- 29th FIA Formula One season
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ferrari developed the technically superior 312T car for the 1975 season, while Brabham — considered pre-season favourites after a strong 1974 — struggled with persistent tyre wear. Niki Lauda, entering his second year with Ferrari, was entrusted with the new car and quickly demonstrated its competitive advantage over rivals.
The 1975 FIA Formula One World Championship ran across 14 races from January to October. Lauda won five of them, securing the Drivers' Championship by a wide margin, while Ferrari claimed the Manufacturers' Cup. The season was also marked by the death of American driver Mark Donohue following a crash in Austrian Grand Prix practice, making it the last season with a rain-related fatality until 2014.
Ferrari's double championship validated the 312T as the dominant car of the era, cementing Lauda's status as a top-tier driver. Tragically, after the season ended, a plane crash in November killed team owner Graham Hill and driver Tony Brise among six aboard, casting a long shadow over the sport's end-of-year period.