Lewis Hamilton has warmly welcomed the "great compliment" made by triple world champion Niki Lauda after the recent Hungarian grand prix. Having won his first race for Mercedes from pole since switching from McLaren, Hamilton's drive was lauded by team chairman Lauda as "the best I've ever seen in my life". "We were not as quick as the Red Bull but Lewis really made it all up, especially the way he passed people. He was outstanding," said the F1 legend.
But two years ago, before Lauda decided to head-hunt the 28-year-old Briton from McLaren to replace Michael Schumacher, the outspoken Austrian had a vastly different opinion. After one particularly incident-marred race in 2011, Lauda said of Hamilton: "You cannot drive like this -- it will result in someone getting killed."
So it's for that reason that Hamilton so happily accepts Lauda's Budapest praise. "Coming from Niki Lauda, it's a great compliment. I'm very happy he's said something like that," Hamilton is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace. "It's crazy, because when I was at McLaren, he didn't know me and he had a very different opinion. Now we spend a lot of time together and his opinion has changed a lot," the Briton added. (GMM)
Order the latest Mercedes merchandise here!
Hamilton warmly welcomes compliments from Lauda
- Published on 02 Aug 2013 11:59
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
How Antonelli could rewrite Italian F1 history in BarcelonaAndrea Kimi Antonelli stands on the threshold of Italian Formula 1 history this weekend in Barcelona. The Mercedes dr...
12 Jun 2026 12:16 -
Did Mercedes and Ferrari manipulate engine data to unlock FIA tokens?Red Bull has been classified by the FIA as having Formula 1's most powerful engine, a ruling that grants Mercedes...
12 Jun 2026 11:14 -
Why Verstappen's engine rule U-turn matters for Red BullMax Verstappen has offered his first response to the revised Formula 1 engine regulations, expressing cautious suppor...
12 Jun 2026 10:12 -
How Antonelli went from fearing for his seat to leading the championshipKimi Antonelli has revealed he seriously feared for his Formula 1 future during a difficult mid-season spell in his d...
11 Jun 2026 16:20 -
Verstappen wins engine battle as FIA confirms major rule overhaulThe FIA has reached an agreement with engine manufacturers to progressively phase out the current 50-50 power split b...
11 Jun 2026 15:18
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Driver profile
- Team Ferrari
- Points 3,623
- Podiums 135
- Grand Prix 238
- Country GB
- Date of b. Jan 7 1985 (41)
- Place of b. Tewin, GB
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.74 m
- 483,327 comments on Ferrari
66 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Lewis Hamilton
Team profile
- Team name Mercedes
- Base Brackley, Germany
- Michael Schumacher 3
- Nico Rosberg 4
- Nico Rosberg 6
- Michael Schumacher 7
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 8
- Nico Rosberg 9
- Lewis Hamilton 10
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli 12
- Lewis Hamilton 44
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- 635,766 comments on Mercedes
- 59 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Mercedes
Replies (0)
Login to reply