Athletes who are at the top of their game receive as much hate from critics as love from their fans. And if you are one of the GOATs of the sport, it all multiplies. Surprisingly, earlier, in his career, Lewis Hamilton found himself on the receiving side of not-so-good comments from 3-time world champion Niki Lauda. But did he really, or was it all a misunderstanding?

Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful drivers ever, alongside Michael Schumacher, to have ever graced the sport. But his time in Formula 1, even after he had won 1 world championship, was not quite good. He had impressed everyone but failed to do so for Lauda. The Austrian racer had apparently made some opposing statements while commentating on Hamilton’s performance. And that caused the then-McLaren racer to feel demoralized.

“I miss Niki a lot,” Hamilton stated on Mercedes’ YouTube channel, as quoted by FormulaPassion. “He was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I know he had been quite critical of me, and we had never met. It happened while I was at McLaren and he was doing the commentary, and he got an idea of ​​who I was and he made certain comments, so for me, it was like, ‘ Niki doesn’t like me’.”

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As it turns out, it was a big misunderstanding. Moreover, a couple of years later, Lauda did something for Hamilton that changed the entire course of his F1 career.

Lewis Hamilton tips his hat to Niki Lauda’s decision that changed his life

After winning a world championship with McLaren, Hamilton was set to continue with them for the 2013 season. But one phone call, followed by a visit from Lauda, ensured that the Briton joined Mercedes in 2013. And the rest is history.

“I just so miss talking to the dude. I miss his texts, the videos we shared.” Hamilton told Mirror. “I still have them. I’ve kept them and still revisit them. Without his support, I probably wouldn’t have made the switch to come to this team and I don’t think this team would have been as successful without his support.”

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Even today, the respect and admiration that Hamilton has for the late Niki Lauda is immense. He was a true champion in every sense of the matter.