LEWIS HAMILTON says he is channelling the fighting spirit of Niki Lauda and his “give them a***holes” saying this weekend in Monza.
Ferrari have unveiled a tribute livery for three-time world champion Lauda this weekend, 50 years on from his 1975 title with the Italian team.
6
6
6
6
It is a mockup of the very car in which Lauda won his first world championship at Monza, while both drivers will wear special helmets for the Austrian who died in 2019 age 70.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has drawn inspiration from Lauda throughout his career and says when he was at a low point the former F1 driver used to tell him to “give them a***holes!”.
Hamilton said: “His legacy continues to live on and I know right now, I know what he would be saying to me nowadays.
“It’s always in the back of my mind, that thought.
“When I didn’t do well, he would always say ‘give him hell’, but he would always say the word, ‘a***holes’.
“That was always his thing.
“I remember at the beginning, I never understood. I was like, ‘What do you mean? You mean, give him hell?’
“He was like, ‘No, give him a***holes’. But yeah, he was just such a fighter.”
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
Lauda suffered a horrifying crash at the Nurburgring in Germany in 1976, and was not expected to live, let alone race again after his car burst into flames.
Hamilton added: “Niki and I had an amazing relationship.
“It’s amazing this weekend because I got to celebrate Niki when I was at Mercedes.
“I got to celebrate winning with him, winning championships with him, and then to be able to come to Ferrari and then also be able to celebrate him here is really, really cool.”
He is still in search of his first podium and trails team-mate Charles Leclerc by 42 points after both of them crashed out in a catastrophic race for Ferrari at Zandvoort last time out.
Hamilton was also harshly slapped with a five-place grid penalty for not slowing down sufficiently on the laps before Sunday’s race in the Netherlands had even started.
6
6
