Niki Lauda was one of the most influential figures behind Mercedes’ success in F1. He helped the team find its feet in the sport and is often credited with having convinced Lewis Hamilton to join them in 2013. Several figures within Mercedes have admitted to missing Lauda’s leadership, including Hamilton as he said in a recent video.
Mercedes released a video on their YouTube channel where Hamilton was going down memory lane as he completes 10 years with the Silver Arrows. There, he spoke about Lauda being an integral part of the team and their tremendous success in the sport.
“He was such a fighter,” Hamilton said about the three-time F1 Champion. “He is still very much a part of the team.”
However, Hamilton also revealed that Lauda used to do two very unique and distinct things involving him, that really motivated him to work harder and perform better.
What Niki Lauda did based on Hamilton’s performances
Hamilton not performing well was a rare sighting during his peak Mercedes days. The Brackley-based outfit produced what was arguably the most dominant car, and Hamilton was always in the mix for a race win.
However, when Lauda felt that Hamilton performed exceptionally well, he would take his hat off to him. As Hamilton reveals, this was huge because the Austrian would never remove his hat for any other reason as he wore it to cover the scars from a horrible accident he suffered at Nürburgring in 1976.
niki lauda taking off his cap for lewis hamilton after the 2018 france gp pic.twitter.com/cfTkPWvSYD
— ☆ (@dearlews) July 21, 2022
On the other hand, Lauda was also ready to criticize Hamilton when he wasn’t performing up to standards. Hamilton says that Lauda used to make a gesture looking at him, which translated into him asking for his money back. Lauda always expected a lot out of Hamilton, and wanted to remind him that Mercedes invested a huge amount of money on him.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes lacking Lauda’s guidance?
As reported by Business F1, there are employees at Mercedes who feel that since Lauda’s passing away, they have never been the same. Toto Wolff often looked to Lauda for guidance and without the former Ferrari driver, Wolff seems confused.
Employees at Mercedes liked how Lauda calmly handled things, unlike Wolff, who is said to lose his temper very often. Some have gone as far as saying that Lauda’s absence has sent the team into a decline, which has seen them going down from regular title challengers to becoming an outfit with an outside chance of finishing in the podium places.
