أرشيف وسم ‘ Niki Lauda ’
Mercedes-AMG Petronas officially confirmed that Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have signed new contracts, which will keep them with the World Champion team until the end of 2020. This date aligns with the expiration of the current Commercial Agreement with Formula One Management. Niki Lauda began working with Mercedes in late 2012. Since 2013, he has held the role of Non-Executive Chairman of the board of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd and holds a 10% stake in the Team. “The last few years have been some of the […]
Although Mercedes utterly dominated in 2014, team chairman Niki Lauda is still looking into the new season with trepidation. For one thing, the F1 legend and triple world champion cannot understand the sport's looming schedule for pre-season testing. "Everyone at Brackley is stressed," Lauda admitted to Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten. "There are many things (to worry about)," he explained. "It bothers me that this year there is no test in the heat of Bahrain, unlike the previous year. "In Spain, the temperatures are too low in […]
Dominant Mercedes is unapologetic amid increasing pressure to agree to an engine 'unfreeze' for 2015. The new constructors' champions came under fire recently when Red Bull's Christian Horner claimed Mercedes went back on an earlier pledge to agree to relax the sport's tight restrictions on in-season engine development. "Sometimes you have to reset your own interests and do what is best for the sport," Horner is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. Given Mercedes' utter dominance in 2014, the consensus among the German marque's rivals […]
Sebastian Vettel's move to Ferrari may be good for the Italian team, but not so good in the short term for the reigning world champion. That is the claim of F1 legend Niki Lauda, who despite being Mercedes' team chairman admitted that news German Vettel is leaving Red Bull caught him by surprise at Suzuka. "Yes (it did)," he told the Austrian newspaper Osterreich. "Or at least the date of the announcement did. No one in Suzuka expected it. "Vettel apparently told his team on […]
At Mercedes, the apologies are flying around like so much shattered carbon fibre. Contrite after his run-in with teammate Lewis Hamilton at Spa, Nico Rosberg at Monza revealed that boss Niki Lauda also said sorry for his harsh criticism in the heated moments after the explosive Belgian grand prix. "Yes, it's true," Rosberg admitted, "and that was a nice gesture which I have fully accepted of course." Austrian Lauda, however, said his opinion of the Belgian crash has not changed, despite the apology. "I apologised […]
Mercedes Executive Director Niki Lauda says that contact so early on in the Belgian Grand Prix between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg was 'unacceptable.' Rosberg tagged Hamilton's car as the duo rounded Les Combes on the second lap of the race as they battled for the lead. Hamilton sustained a puncture and dropped out of contention, while Rosberg went on to finish the race in second position. "Very simply it is unacceptable that in the second lap Nico hit Lewis, completely unacceptable," Lauda told BBC […]
After four years of title-winning dominance, Red Bull's rivals hope to be "back in the game" as the new F1 era kicks off in 2014. Even before Sebastian Vettel's run began in 2010, Ferrari had already lost two consecutive world championships to McLaren and Mercedes' former guise Brawn GP respectively. Team president Luca di Montezemolo said the time for Ferrari dominance has come again. "We dominated for five years, they (Red Bull) did it for four and I think now we must make sure we […]
Niki Lauda says Mercedes is on track for the start of official 2014 testing, despite the huge challenge of the all-new turbo rules. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports rumours that world champion team Red Bull's boss Christian Horner had floated the idea of delaying for a week the start of winter testing late this month. "Nothing is being moved," Mercedes team chairman Lauda insisted. "The plans are going ahead for late January. "The task of big for everybody." The report said the German squad […]
Ross Brawn will step down from his position as team principal at Mercedes at the end of 2013, it was announced on Thursday. Following an extended period of open discussion between the team's key stakeholders, Ross has chosen to hand over the team leadership to Executive Director (Business) Toto Wolff and Executive Director (Technical) Paddy Lowe. Ross Brawn, who will formally leave the team on 31st December 2013, said: "The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as Team Principal […]
Norbert Haug, the former Mercedes competition boss, has bad news for the hopeful German marque. To now be headed by Paddy Lowe, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda, Mercedes is bullish about its 2014 hopes, having finished second in 2013 to the runaway champion team, Red Bull. "For everyone and for me the target is to win the world championship, both championships," driver Lewis Hamilton told the British broadcaster Sky after last weekend's 2013 finale in Brazil. "If we don't do it naturally there will be […]
At the wheel of a Red Bull, Fernando Alonso's feats would be "far beyond" what Sebastian Vettel has achieved. That is the claim of Lewis Hamilton, despite having recently clarified his views about Vettel's dominance following suggestions he lacked respect for the German. "Feel the need to clarify my thoughts," he wrote on Twitter earlier this month. "Seb is great champion!" However, when asked by the Spanish sports daily AS if he would have won four titles at the wheel of Vettel's Red Bull, Briton […]
Mercedes' F1 drivers on Thursday threw their weight behind Ross Brawn, amid rumours their boss is considering stepping down or even switching teams. "He's a great boss," Lewis Hamilton said at Suzuka, after it emerged Brawn is in talks with team chairman Niki Lauda about the 58-year-old Briton's future. Brawn is being linked with former employer Honda's 2015 foray with McLaren, although he has denied he has made any decisions yet. "I don't know what his plans are for the future," Hamilton told reporters, "but […]