We recall Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, and Rory Byrne in the 2000s; Red Bull with Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, and Sebastian Vettel first, and Max Verstappen later; Williams with Frank Williams, Patrick Head, and Adrian Newey in the 1980s and 1990s; McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost under Ron Dennis in the 1980s and with Mika Häkkinen and Adrian Newey at the end of the 1990s; Lotus with Colin Chapman, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, and Mario Andretti in the 1960s and 1970s; Brabham with Bernie Ecclestone and Gordon Murray alongside Nelson Piquet in the 1980s; and Renault with Flavio Briatore, Fernando Alonso, and Pat Symonds in the 2000s. The recipe is always the same: extraordinary men at the same moment.
For Mercedes, the perfect alchemy arrived in 2014, and today the team wanted to commemorate a particularly special moment in its history: 2012, the year Niki Lauda joined the Brackley team, opening a chapter that would forever change Formula 1.
The first years were not easy. Mercedes struggled to assert itself, and the project was still under construction. But Lauda, with his legendary frankness and technical vision, was able to instill confidence and direction. It was he, with courage and foresight, who convinced Lewis Hamilton to leave McLaren and join a team that had not yet proven anything. A decision that would eventually place the Englishman among the most successful drivers in history.
Niki Lauda was not just a technical advisor; he was a reference point for everyone. His special relationship with Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton has often been cited as one of the keys to the team’s stability and strength. Wolff himself previously highlighted how Niki could bring discussions back to reality with just a few words, always incisive.
“I don’t believe in excuses, in Formula 1 only results count,” Lauda used to say. Or: “Success comes if you have the courage to choose, even when others tell you you are wrong.” These words perfectly describe his ability to see beyond the present and build the future.
Toto Wolff described him this way: “I think of him every single day. When things were too easy, he got bored. When they became difficult, that’s when his determination shone through.” This phrase captures the essence of Niki Lauda: direct, honest, and uncompromising. With passion, determination, humor, and vitality, he inspired not only as a driver but also as a businessman and public figure. An icon, remembered forever for his unmistakable red cap, which still adorns the entrance of the Mercedes garage at every Grand Prix, symbolizing his legacy and the values he instilled in the team.
Since his passing in May 2019, every Mercedes Formula 1 car has carried a red three-pointed star, a permanent tribute to the champion. “The small red three-pointed star will remain on the car forever,” Wolff stated at the time. And so it has been: every lap completed by the team is symbolically shared with Niki, aboard the Silver Arrows.
Today, on the anniversary of the day Lauda joined Mercedes, the team remembers him as “a man we will never forget,” someone capable of transforming challenges into determination and leaving an eternal legacy in both sport and life.
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