SM
Greece vs. England: 2 hrs 54 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Lewis Hamilton dedicates Monaco pole to Niki Lauda

:Headline: Lewis Hamilton dedicates Monaco pole to Niki Lauda: ID:360253: from db_amp
The British driver qualified fastest around the famous street circuit.

An emotional Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix and said: "This is for you, Niki."

Hamilton will start as the overwhelming favourite to win on Monte Carlo's tight streets on Sunday after he edged out team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 0.086 seconds with his final lap.

The exuberant world champion yelled over the radio in delight, before leaping out of his silver machine and jumping on to the catch fencing at Rascasse to celebrate with fans.

Hamilton danced his way around the principality with the painted red halo, in tribute to Lauda, standing out on his silver car.

Lauda has been absent from the F1 scene since he underwent a double lung transplant last August.

"I was in touch with Niki a lot over the past eight months," added Hamilton. "We would send videos back and forth.

"Some days he looked good and was really perky. But there were other days where you could see he had lost a lot of weight – it was tough to see from afar."

Hamilton then reflected on the phone call he received from the outspoken Austrian – urging him to turn his back on McLaren and move to Mercedes.

The British driver has won four of his five world championships, and 54 of his 75 career victories with the Silver Arrows. In contrast, McLaren have not won a single race since the British star left.

Hamilton credits Lauda, left, with helping bring him to Mercedes (David Davies/PA)

"I was down by the pool where I live here in Monaco, and I remember getting a call from Niki," said Hamilton.

"We had never really spoken before, but he said to me, 'you should come to Mercedes, this is where you should be'.

"Over the years he became my partner in crime, involved in negotiations, pushing for improvements on the car. He was such a racer. He would be back at the team factory giving them a***holes.

"He was a part of the process of changing my life. If I didn't receive the call, I would be a one-time world champion, probably with 21 wins. Now, I sit here as a five-time world champion and I owe him a lot for that.

"We all love him, miss him and it is hard to think I will never see him again, and have another conversation with him. He will live long in all of our memories."

Mercedes have had it all their own way this year, starting the campaign with a record five one-two finishes. The Silver Arrows are on course to make it six in six after another dominant performance. It would be the perfect tribute.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen lines up third ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. His team-mate Charles Leclerc is set to start 16th after a woeful Ferrari miscalculation eliminated the Monegasque from the opening phase of qualifying.

amp_article__360253 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-05-25 17:12:53:
html db last update - 2019-05-25 17:12:53 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Lewis Hamilton

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .