Hamilton didn't have high opinion of Lauda originally

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he didn't have a "high opinion" of Niki Lauda before the pair worked together at Mercedes.

Lauda was eventually part of the team to lure the Brit away from McLaren and to Mercedes, but the former F1 driver was very critical of Hamilton, with his comments following his crash with Felipe Massa in 2011 perhaps the most memorable.

"What Hamilton did there goes beyond all boundaries," Lauda said back seven years ago. "He's completely mad. If the FIA does not punish him, I do not understand the world any more. At some point there has to be an end to all the jokes. You cannot drive like this - as it will result in someone getting killed."

Hamilton revealed that those comments, with some others, too, stuck with him during the negotiation period of his McLaren - Mercedes switch.

Lauda helped breaking the ice by saying: "You're a racer, just like me!"

"From then on, our relationship got better and better," Hamilton said on Lauda. "I loke Niki, I miss him and I hope he will be back soon, but originally I did not have a high opinion of Niki.

"I often send him a video from the box or from the engineering briefing and keep him up to date on what's going on here. He called me last week, it was so nice to finally hear his voice again. He was very happy that the operation went well, he was joking and in a good mood."