Lewis Hamilton is still in the hunt for the world championship despite failing even to finish in Australia. That is the view of Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, who revealed he consoled the Melbourne pole-sitter by harking back to his own F1 history.
After Hamilton retired at Albert Park only to see his German teammate Nico Rosberg go on to win, Lauda said: "I hugged him (Hamilton) and said 'This was only the first race. 'In 1984 I also failed in the first race but I was world champion in the end'," Lauda recalled telling Briton Hamilton.
Indeed, while Lauda retired in the pits at Jacarepagua in Brazil, his McLaren teammate Alain Prost won the race. But Lauda went on to win the 1984 title by half a point.
Asked how Mercedes has managed to get off to such a strong start in 2014, Lauda told the Osterreich newspaper: "Because we have been best with the new engine regulations. Also last summer, when Red Bull was still focusing on the 2013 season, we were already developing our new car," he added.
Italy's La Repubblica declared after Sunday's Australian grand prix: "The F1 revolution has its leader." But Mercedes chief Toto Wolff expects Red Bull to catch up. "With these new cars," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper, "the development curve is much steeper than usual."
He said the reigning world champions had already "caught up massively" between the winter season and Melbourne. And Red Bull's increasingly confident Dr Helmut Marko said: "We know what is still to come in our car and the (Renault) engine. On the engine we are still nowhere near the maximum," he insisted.
McLaren's Jenson Button, however, thinks that at the moment, F1 has a clear leader. He said: "Right now we seem to be able to fight against everyone -- except one." (GMM)
Hamilton still in the hunt for world championship - Lauda
- Published on 18 Mar 2014 12:43
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
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Spain
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
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Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
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1 - May 3
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Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
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Driver profile
- Team McLaren
- Points 37
- Podiums 0
- Grand Prix 41
- Country United Kingdom
- Date of b. Jan 19 1980 (46)
- Place of b. Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom
- Weight 72 kg
- Length 1.82 m
- 67,065 comments on McLaren
23 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Jenson Button
Team profile
- Team name McLaren
- Base Woking, United Kingdom
- Jenson Button 1
- Lewis Hamilton 1
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Niki Lauda 1
- Stoffel Vandoorne 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Gerhard Berger 2
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Jenson Button 3
- Lewis Hamilton 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 3
- Mika Häkkinen 3
- Lando Norris 4
- Lewis Hamilton 4
- Jenson Button 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Jenson Button 5
- Sergio Perez 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Niki Lauda 8
- Alain Prost 8
- Kimi Räikkönen 9
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Jenson Button 22
- Lewis Hamilton 22
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Stoffel Vandoorne 47
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- Oscar Piastri 81
- 304,209 comments on McLaren
- 162 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about McLaren
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