Lewis Hamilton announced himself on the world stage when he joined McLaren in 2007 and challenged for the F1 title in his rookie year. He missed out on that by just a point but fulfilled his lifelong dream by winning the championship the very next year.
Between 2009 and 2012, however, McLaren’s performance began to fade with Red Bull’s dominance emerging. Hamilton was still winning races and competing for the podium places but was unable to fight for the world championship. Mercedes, who had recently entered F1, had ambitious dreams and they wanted Hamilton to drive their success in the front.
However, convincing a driver to give up a seat at a top team to join a midfield outfit that was still finding its feet was a herculean task. Fortunately for Mercedes, 3-time world champion Niki Lauda was there to talk to Hamilton, and in 2013, the Stevenage-born driver moved to Brackley.
At the time, his move was heavily criticized, with media and fans calling the Brit’s decision a blunder.
Niki Lauda knew Lewis Hamilton would succeed at Mercedes
Hamilton was one of the most talented drivers during his Mercedes move. Of course, it was a time when Sebastian Vettel was on the top of the pedestal, winning four back-to-back world championships. However, it was very well known that all Hamilton needed, was a car good enough to challenge Red Bull.
Mercedes went one step ahead of that and gave Hamilton a car that would dominate everyone. Between 2014 and 2021, he went on to win six world championships, establishing his legacy as one of, if not the greatest F1 drivers of all time.
In an interview back in 2012, former Ferrari ace Lauda, correctly predicted Hamilton’s success with the Silver Arrows. When asked if Hamilton was ready to lead the team to Championship glory, Lauda insisted that he can go to any team, anywhere and establish dominance from day one.
“For me, he’s one of the quickest guys around,” said Lauda. “There’s no question. He’s brutal. He’s quick. He knows how to drive a Formula 1 car in any kind of extremes.”
Lauda explains what makes Hamilton different to everyone else
In another interview Lauda emphasized on the fact that Hamilton is extremely easy to handle. Being a multiple-time world champion means that a driver will have a certain set of sporting demands (to say the least).
However, Lauda feels that Hamilton’s humility makes it extremely difficult easy for everyone to deal with him.
Contrary to what happens with other drivers, Lauda felt that giving Hamilton his freedom and space was what helped the Briton drive Mercedes to glory.
