Niki Lauda was one of the most crucial elements in making Mercedes the dominant team that they were in the mid-2010s. Toto Wolff recently admitted to missing Lauda during the tough times that Mercedes is facing at the moment. Former F1 driver Christian Danner came out to suggest that the Mercedes CEO is lost without Niki Lauda’s guidance. Nonetheless, in these tough times, Lewis Hamilton recalls an embarrassing Niki Lauda moment that left Toto Wolff laughing.

Lauda is known for how serious he was about racing and his precise take on life. Like the movie Rush suggested, there is a 20% risk. However, James Hunt probably taught Niki Lauda to have a bit of fun, and this is exactly the ‘fun’ kind of story that Lewis Hamilton shared. The Austrian played a crucial role in convincing the 7X champ to join Mercedes and Hamilton has always been vocal about the role Lauda played in his career.

As Lewis Hamilton recalled some of his memories with Niki Lauda, he came to a conclusion and revealed his favorite one, where Niki Lauda made a fool of himself in a restaurant. Hamilton revealed, “One of my favorite memories of Niki was in Brazil. Me, Niki and Toto went out for sushi. Niki dropped some fish, it fell into the soy sauce and splattered all over him. We all burst out laughing and that’s what it was all about. It wasn’t a job, it was just three guys laughing really hard!”

I cannot recall when I last saw Toto Wolff laughing, or if I’ve ever seen him laughing at all. Nonetheless, Mercedes to this date have a red star on their car as a tribute to Niki Lauda. The Austrian won’t be too pleased about what’s happening at Mercedes as he looks upon the team from the heavens.

Toto Wolff Lost Without Niki Lauda’s Guidance

Peter Windsor was recently asked about how Niki Lauda would’ve reacted to Mercedes’ downfall if he were still around, to which Windsor replied that the Austrian would be annoyed by how things are and would probably end up kicking some capital A. And soon Christian Danner explained how Toto Wolf misses Lauda’s guidance. Without the mentor, Wolff isn’t able to make the decision as he’s not a racer at heart like Christian Horner”

Christian Danner explained, “He [Toto Wolff] has his team, with which he somehow has to cope. He has a team of technicians, an engineering team, and an aero team he has to rely on. But the car is not made by the team boss. Christian Horner can manage what he likes, and the car goes. And with Toto, that’s the problem at the moment. And his drivers say that too. What he misses very much, I say it again and again, is certainly Niki Lauda.”

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