Former F1 champion Niki Lauda played a crucial role in Lewis Hamilton's decision to make the move from McLaren to Mercedes, which resulted in the Briton dominating the turbo-hybrid era. The seven-time F1 champion recently came out, revealed his first impressions of Niki Lauda, and explained how the barriers of a "stereotyped view" came down.

Hamilton has been the only black driver on the F1 grid since the 2007 season, as the paddock wasn't the most welcoming to him. During a recent interview with Ferrari, the 40-year-old was questioned about his relationship with Niki Lauda and the influence that the Austrian had on him.

Lewis Hamilton revealed how he considered Niki Lauda to be a part of the paddock, which wasn't welcoming to him, but it all changed after their first meeting. The Briton said,

"When I got to F1, Niki was part of a world that couldn't adapt to me being different, and I heard negative things, though I'd always had an admiration for him as a three-time world champion. He's one of the true icons of our sport. Then he's on the phone telling me why I should come to the team [Mercedes], and then when we finally met we had a really good conversation."

"He said, "You're just like me, you're a racer to the core." It wasn't until we had that meeting that those barriers came down, that the stereotyped view he may have had was dealt with. After that we would travel to races together and he'd fly us places all the time," added Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton signed with McLaren in 2007 and challenged the two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in his rookie season. In 2008, he won his first F1 title and continued to race with McLaren until the end of the 2012 season.

With the Turbo Hybrid engines set to be introduced for the 2014 season, and Michael Schumacher retiring from the sport at the end of the 2012 season, Mercedes needed a replacement to fill the boots of the seven-time F1 champion. Lewis Hamilton was the team's first choice, and Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda reportedly played a crucial role in convincing the Briton to sign with the Silver Arrows.

Ferrari celebrated the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda's first championship victory with Scuderia at the 2025 Italian GP as the team ran a special livery inspired by the iconic Ferrari 312 T livery in which the Austrian won the 1975 title.

Lewis Hamilton recreated Niki Lauda's iconic image after winning the 1975 title, and shared the same on his social media accounts with a caption that read,

"Dedicato a Niki" which translates to "Dedicated to Niki"

Hamilton also spoke about the special livery during the race weekend, as he said,

"I'm glad we can honor Niki this weekend with a special livery and helmet, even though, to me, it always feels as if he's still here by my side. Sometimes I even feel like I can hear him, because I know exactly what he would say to me in different situations."

The Mercedes F1 cars continue to carry a red star in the memory of Niki Lauda.