10 Seconds of Silence Later, Niki Lauda’s Response to Lewis Hamilton’s Tricky Question Once Changed the Course of Mercedes F1 History

Everybody knows that Lewis Hamilton took a big gamble on signing for Mercedes and leaving McLaren. However, not everyone knows how tricky it was to convince the young Briton to leave a well-established team for a new and upcoming one. 3-time world champion Niki Lauda revealed what exactly it took for him to convince Hamilton to make the switch.

Even back then, Hamilton was one of the best drivers on the grid and he’d already won the title in just his second season. Moreover, he drove for McLaren, a team that had a great history of producing world champions. Seeing this, it was only fair for Lewis to ask the Austrian why should he leave McLaren for Mercedes when they were P5 in the championship back in 2012.

To this, Niki replied, “I was for 10 seconds speechless. What should I tell him now? He is right. And I said, but what would happen if you would win a World Championship in a Mercedes? Because you can then prove to the whole world that you been the first World Champion in a Mercedes.”

He further added, “Then I thought, this was half of my victory to make him think in that direction and then I got him really under competitive edge to say join us and I will do everything I can do to give you a competitive car, this I can assure you with all my efforts.”

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Hamilton and Mercedes have enjoyed unprecedented success together. The Briton won 6 championships with the Silver Arrows and became the first man to complete 200 races with a single constructor.

Lewis Hamilton wants to stay with Mercedes for the ‘rest of his life’

6 world championships, 8 constructors trophies, and countless podiums later, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave a champion organization. Lewis Hamilton revealed in his interview about wanting to stay with the Silver Arrows for years to come.

As per motorsportweek.com, Hamilton said, “It’s not that I’m not sure, I know what I want to do. I plan on staying longer. It’s just not set in stone how long. I plan on staying with Mercedes for the rest of my life, that’s a definite.”

He further added, “It’s more figuring out what we are going to do down the line, even beyond racing I want to be building with Mercedes and there is a lot that Mercedes can do, it’s not just a car manufacturer.”

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Lewis Hamilton will hope to bring back glory days to the Mercedes camp after a gloomy year. Moreover, he would like to return to winning ways himself after not winning a single race this year.