Niki Lauda “moved” by Mercedes title

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes another double at the first Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. This result associated with the poor performance of Red Bull allowed the manufacturer to win its first star for its return to the discipline in 2010. The new regulations allowed the Brackley team to shine, the Power Unit of Brixworth being by far the most competitive in the field, while the Drivers' title seems destined for one of the two leaders of the Championship.

Niki Lauda shared the team's joy at the end of this exemplary weekend for the Silver Arrows. “It means a lot,” commented the vice-president of Mercedes F1 on BBC Sport. “I must admit that I am a little emotional. It was a complicated job when we started this together with Ross Brawn (former Team Principal) and Toto wolff (executive chairman of Mercedes Motorsport). We will celebrate this at home. »

The three-time world champion feared a clash between the Mercedes drivers at the start, the Austrian remembering the clash between his drivers at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. “Nico did an excellent job after his mistake on the first lap. They fought today, you could see that in the first corner. I told myself it was going to start again, but that wasn't the case and we only had one trip. They will continue to clash. Lewis is in very good form and things are looking good for him. »

Discover the analysis of the Russian Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 1982 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version, and from Wednesday on newsstands.