Mercedes success in the early days of the hybrid era in Formula 1 was partially down to the leadership between Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff.
The pair were effectively right-hand men who oversaw the running of the team, with three-time F1 World Champion Lauda making invaluable contributions to Mercedes right up until the day he sadly passed away in 2019.
Lauda was an instrumental figure in the signing of Lewis Hamilton, who went on to become their most successful driver after winning five titles between 2014 and 2020.
His legacy is paid tribute by the team every year with a special red three-pointed star on the car’s livery, which pays homage to Lauda and his valuable contributions.
Discussing one of the predictions that he once made while at Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff recalls what Lauda once told him about George Russell after seeing him race in junior formulas when speaking to Sky Sports F1.
Niki Lauda predicts George Russell will be successful in F1
Russell had been working his way up through the junior ranks before joining Mercedes, having been successful in the GP3 (now F3) championship.
It was an impressive campaign from the Briton in 2017, having taken four wins and seven podiums to win the title ahead of fellow British driver Jack Aitkin.
Lauda would never normally watch the races, but when Russell won at Silverstone during the GP3 race he watched on from below the podium with Wolff and made one prediction.
“George [Russell] winning in F3 was the only podium Niki Lauda has ever visited in a junior series, and he said back to me: ‘He’s gonna become a good one’,” said Wolff.
Mercedes does one touching tribute to Niki Lauda in the garage on race weekends
Mercedes has run various other tributes to Lauda over the years, including a red halo at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix in the immediate days after his death.
Lauda’s legacy lives in throughout the team, particularly as he was close to Wolff in the latter stages of his career despite claiming that he never had any friends.
One prominent tribute that is currently in the Mercedes garage on race weekends is his signature red baseball cap that sits on a set of headphones, according to the book Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane.
Mercedes has vowed to never take off the red three-pointed star on their car, while the headphone rack tribute will also remain as a reminder of their colleague.
