Former F1 driver claims Lewis Hamilton was “pampered” by Niki Lauda at Mercedes

Former F1 driver Christian Horner revealed his conversation with late F1 legend Niki Lauda where the Austrian claimed that Lewis Hamilton had to be pampered by Mercedes.

Former F1 driver claims Lewis Hamilton was “pampered” by Niki Lauda at Mercedes

Niki Lauda and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of this year. The seven-time world champion achieved historic success with the Silver Arrows over the past decade after joining the team in 2013. Now, former F1 driver Christian Danner has revealed an interesting fact he learned from late F1 legend Niki Lauda a few years ago.

It was Lauda who convinced Hamilton to join Mercedes in 2013 despite having an impressive season with McLaren in 2012. However, the Briton certainly made the right call to follow the advice of the F1 legend. The Austrian was the Non-Executive Chairman of the Brackley-based team till his untimely death in 2018.

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Danner recalled a conversation with Lauda. The Austrian told the former F1 driver that Lewis Hamilton liked to be pampered. Moreover, Christian Danner claimed that Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff had to praise the Briton regularly.

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I’ve already learned from Niki Lauda: Lewis likes to be pampered. If I may put it that way. I know that he also had to be praised by Toto Wolff.
Christian Horner told The Express

The German claimed that Lewis Hamilton was incredibly sensitive during his 2016 title fight against arch-rival Nico Rosberg. So much so, that Danner cited this as the cause of Hamilton’s loss against his teammate that year.

Even in the psychological duel with Nico Rosberg. He was too sensitive in 2016 and lost the title.

2024 to be Lewis Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes

The seven-time world champion has been supported by the German carmaker for the majority of his career. Lewis Hamilton has always raced with Mercedes engines in Formula 1 including his time with McLaren. However, this incredible partnership will come to an end in 2024 after Hamilton signed a $430 billion deal with Ferrari.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

The British driver decided to change his plans at the last moment despite reassuring Mercedes before Christmas. As such, it is no surprise that Hamilton’s move shocked the entire sporting world. However, the seven-time world champion is determined to have a successful final season with the Silver Arrows.

Certainly, it will be interesting to see the dynamic between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have imposed a poaching ban on the seven-time world champion to prevent him from swaying personnel to leave for Maranello. However, the two parties will be aiming to end this historic partnership on a high this year.

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