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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton revealed that he proved Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda wrong after they criticized him in 2018 during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Hamilton is one of the drivers who is seen indulging in activities that aren't remotely related to F1. Many would feel that racing in the epitome of motorsport requires complete dedication in the sport, however, the Briton proved it the other way around back in 2018.
Right before the Singapore GP weekend that year, Lewis Hamilton attended a launch party in New York for the launch of his special collection. He was criticized by Niki Lauda, who was a key part of the team. He recently revealed that Lauda told Wolff that he can't let Hamilton do that.
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"The story that people gave me was, 'Oh, he's not focused.' But I wasn't out partying late or drinking like that," Motorsport Next Gen Auto quoted Hamilton.
"I arrived in Singapore and did one of the best tricks I've ever done. And after that, everyone was like, 'Oh, he can do that.' Even Niki was telling Toto, 'You can’t let Lewis do that! That’s not what a racing driver does!' I proved them wrong."
Lewis Hamilton went on and put himself in pole position in Singapore later that weekend. He was almost 0.3 seconds clear of Max Verstappen who started the race in P2. His stunning lap around the Marina Bay Circuit is still considered to be one of the best laps in the history of F1. Hamilton won that race with an 8.9-second lead.
While that was the time he dominated with Mercedes, the team has suffered since the 2022 F1 season, adapting to the new aerodynamic regulations. The 39-year-old will move to Ferrari at the end of the season and the analyzed reason for him leaving the Brackley-based outfit is their poor performance.
Despite the poor performance, Toto Wolff revealed that Lewis Hamilton has been very supportive of the team.
Toto Wolff feels Lewis Hamilton is a "pro" racing in his final season with Mercedes
2024 has marked Mercedes' worst start to a season in the last decade. The team has failed to perform competitively within the top for most races and currently stands in fourth place in the championship.
Despite this performance, team principal Toto Wolff revealed that Lewis Hamilton behaves like a "pro" and keeps the entire team's morale up. He said:
"I think that Lewis is a pro and has behaved in that way until now, trying to keep his morale up and the morale of the team even if the results don’t come," Motorsport quoted him.
"I have no doubt that this is going to last. He has also been supportive with George."
Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. His replacement at Mercedes has not been revealed yet, but it was speculated that Sainz might be one of the options. Junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is also a rumored choice.
