Lewis Hamilton sheds light on the role Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda played in convincing him to join Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton had to be convinced to join Mercedes by Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda, ushering the start of the most-dominant era in F1.

Former Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda played a crucial role in getting Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes. The three-time champion Lauda also played a key role in his development once he joined in, before his untimely demise.

“I’d spoken to Niki back home in Monaco, I was talking to him and he was talking to me about coming. I’m pretty sure he was the first one I had spoken to. He was like, ‘you’ve got to come to the team!”

Ross Brawn convinces Hamilton… over tea

Ross Brawn had won the F1 title with Jenson Button at Brawn GP and was now the team principal at Mercedes. And according to Hamilton, Brawn’s visit to his mom’s house played a crucial role in him making the switch from McLaren to Mercedes.

“I wasn’t convinced necessarily at the beginning. I think the convincing stage which really made me look into it more was when Ross came around my mum’s house and sat with me in the kitchen. We had tea, and he showed me what the plan is for the team. That was the real in-depth insight into what the team was planning, the changes they were trying to do. That was really the selling point.”

Also read: Mercedes writing an era of unprecedented domination in Formula 1, is there an end to their seamless triumphs?

Hamilton took the leap of faith, and it paid off handsomely

Lewis Hamilton is an inspiration to many across the globe, with his sheer grit and determination to achieve success. Little would he have known that his ambition to become an F1 world champion would lead to him winning it 7 times. And he has a wonderful message for those who think long and hard before making a decision.

“I knew I made a good decision when I made the decision. I knew it was the right thing for me. But jeez, did I know that we would win six world titles? No.”

“I think what it says is that in life, we’ve got to make sure that we take that leap of faith, do what you think is right for you and not what people tell you to do, and do the homework so you have the pros and cons, and then go with it. Go with it all in, whether it’s good or bad.”

Also read: When can Ferrari return to prominence in Formula 1, and end Mercedes unprecedented dominance?