Lauda: « Lewis Hamilton must be proud of himself »

Niki Lauda thinks that Lewis Hamilton should be proud of what he has accomplished this season, despite a few problems towards the end that ultimately prevented him from winning the world title.

Hamilton undoubtedly had the greatest season a rookie in F1 has ever had, holding 9 consecutive podiums in his first nine races.

The McLaren driver was also the leader of the drivers’ championship for most of the season before stumbling at the final hurdle against the obstacle of Kimi Räikkönen from Ferrari.

A small lapse of attention at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, exacerbated by a gearbox problem, cost him 30 seconds on the track, which means Hamilton missed the world title by just one point.

However, Lauda believes that the 22-year-old Briton should feel proud about his performances in the 2007 season.

« I am very impressed by Lewis. No one has done everything he has accomplished, » he said in the pages of the Daily Mirror.

« If he had become world champion this year, it would have caused a great surprise. But that was not the case.

« This does not take away anything from all that he has achieved this season around the world because he knows that, in any case, he is a prodigy in the field, » concluded Lauda.