F1: Niki Lauda says Hamilton and Rosberg have more respect now
The relationship between Mercedes Formula 1 team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be better in 2015 because the pair now have more respect for each other, reckons Niki Lauda
Mercedes non-executive director and three-time F1 world champion Lauda believes overcoming the intra-team flashpoints of 2014 - when Hamilton and Rosberg clashed over incidents including Rosberg's Monaco Grand Prix qualifying excursion and their collision in Belgium - ultimately strengthened their relationship.
"When you overcome all these issues - that one won the championship, the other didn't, that one hit the other and the other didn't - it's going to be easier because they respect each other on their level of performance," said Lauda.
It emerged last year that Mercedes had imposed a communication ban on Hamilton and Rosberg in the immediate aftermath of the Spa tangle.
Although the team levied an unspecified punishment on Rosberg, Lauda said the most important factor in repairing relations was how the two drivers reacted, culminating in Rosberg congratulating Hamilton after the Abu Dhabi GP title decider.
"Spa was the heat," said Lauda. "Then we got it all under control again, all together.
"Not us telling them, them realising what they should do.
"From then on it all worked and the outcome was unbelievable.
"They are fighting each other and they hug each other and one congratulates the other."
Lauda denied that Hamilton defeating Rosberg last year would give a Briton a definitive advantage, arguing that there is still a lot more to come from Rosberg as he now has experience of being in championship contention.
"This is exactly what we need because Nico will fight back and Nico has the potential upwards," Lauda said.
"There is still something to come out of his speed and performance and the technical inputs he gives.
"It's going to be fun again between the two of them. And I hope nobody else will interfere."
Lauda added that he regarded tension between team-mates as a normal part of F1.
"I never liked [Alain] Prost, I never liked [Clay] Regazzoni, I never liked [John] Watson when it came down to racing so this is normal," he said of his own team-mates.
"But there is a certain respect for each other."
Williams F1 team reshuffles technical staff line-up for 2015
Jean-Pierre Beltoise, ex-F1 driver and 1972 Monaco GP winner, dies
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix