Lewis Hamilton makes surprise revelation over lifetime-changing decision

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."