13/09/2025 10:10
Lewis Hamilton has made a surprise revelation over his decision to
join Mercedes. Hamilton opted to depart McLaren for the
Brackley-based squad in 2013, adding six F1 titles to his resumé in
the process. The move was seen as divisive at the time, as Mercedes
was not yet a proven title-winning organisation in the modern era.
Three-time champion Niki Lauda held a senior position in the team
and has consistently been labelled as the figure who convinced
Hamilton to join from McLaren. However, the 40-year-old has
revealed that it was team principal Ross Brawn who was the key
factor in his decision. "Well, firstly, I have so much love for
Niki," Hamilton told the media, including RacingNews365 . "But
Niki didn't convince me to join Mercedes. It was more Ross, really,
back then. When we sat together in my mum's kitchen, he told me
where the team was going and what they were doing. "Niki was
definitely a part of it, but it was mostly that meeting that really
pulled me in." Lauda passed away in 2019 and has been remembered
fondly by the Mercedes team ever since, with its liveries carrying
a red star in his memory. The Austrian won two of his F1 titles
with Ferrari, and the squad remembered him at the Italian GP
weekend last time out with a commemorative car livery. Hamilton
highlighted his honour in being able to celebrate Lauda's legacy
even after his move away from Mercedes. "Niki and I had an amazing
relationship," he said. "When I joined Ferrari, I hadn't even
thought of Niki having driven at Ferrari. "It was literally just
because, as a kid, I watched Michael and was a big fan of the
team. "I always looked at the reaction from the crowd every time
Ferrari was on the podium – the passion was like no other team. I
wanted to feel what that was like. "Now having joined the team and
learning more about the history, it's amazing, because I got to
celebrate Niki at Mercedes, I got to celebrate winning
championships with him, and now to be able to come to Ferrari and
celebrate him here too. "His legacy continues to live on. I know
what he would be saying to me nowadays, and he's always in the back
of my mind that thought. "When I didn't do well, he'd tell me to
'Give them hell' – but he would always say the word 'arseholes'!
"I never understood it at first. I'd say 'What do you mean? Do you
mean give them hell?' and he would say 'No, give them arseholes!'.
But he was just such a fighter."
