Niki Lauda Used to ‘Push’ Eddie Jordan in McLaren’s Garage to Convince Lewis Hamilton to Join Mercedes

The story of how Mercedes brought Lewis Hamilton over from McLaren in 2013 is one of the most pivotal moments in the career of the seven-time world champion. Niki Lauda was instrumental in convincing Hamilton to leave McLaren, a team that had nurtured the British driver since his teenage years, to join a side that wasn’t yet a proven front-runner.

Recently, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan shared an interesting behind-the-scenes detail on the Formula For Success podcast. Jordan revealed how Lauda used to nudge him to help convince Hamilton to make the move.

“Lewis could remember when he left McLaren and he went to Mercedes,” Jordan said. “God rest him, but Niki used to push me into McLaren to go and speak to Lewis to do all the little messaging for him because he couldn’t do it because of a connection. He was so strongly involved with the Mercedes.”

At the time, the move was seen as a massive gamble for the #44 driver. Mercedes had re-entered Formula 1 in 2010 but hadn’t yet shown the consistency to compete with giants like McLaren, Red Bull, or Ferrari.

Hamilton, on the other hand, was leaving behind a race-winning car at McLaren, a team that took him to his first world championship in 2008. Many in the paddock and the media questioned whether the switch was the right call for Hamilton’s career.

Can Hamilton replicate his success with Ferrari?

There is no denying that Hamilton’s gamble to move to Mercedes in 2013 changed the course of Formula 1 history. Over the next decade, Hamilton won six more world championships, making him the most successful driver in Formula 1 alongside Michael Schumacher.

Mercedes also dominated the sport during this era, winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships. Now, as the Briton prepares to leave Mercedes after 12 incredible seasons, he is being celebrated for all he has achieved with the team and the Silver Arrows is giving him a send-off worthy of a legend.

Yet, just as in 2012, there are questions about his next move. Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari has raised some questions as there is a history of former world champions going to the Italian outfit and being unable to replicate their previous triumphs. Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are two of the most known examples of this.

Also, Hamilton will be going up against Charles Leclerc, a driver who has been touted as a future world champion and is widely regarded as a generational talent just like the British driver and Max Verstappen.

So, to go up against someone like Leclerc in his 40s might turn out badly for Hamilton. But only time will tell how Hamilton and Ferrari’s partnership will go down in history.