"Give them a**holes": Lewis Hamilton remembers Niki Lauda's weird pep talk when he was with him at Mercedes

With Ferrari remembering Niki Lauda's 1975 championship-winning season at the Italian GP this year, Lewis Hamilton has shared a hilarious incident that happened between him and the Austrian when he was at Mercedes. The seven-time champion revealed how Lauda's pep talk left him confused, leading to a comical interaction between them.

Lauda had a crucial role in convincing Hamilton to switch from McLaren to Mercedes, which was then a midfield team. But this switch essentially paid off as the Briton won six world titles with the Brackley-based squad, of which Lauda had overseen four championship-winning runs.

While the two had an amicable relationship, the three-time champion was also a mentor to Hamilton during his time at Mercedes. Moreover, when certain races did not go in favor of him, Lauda was there to hype him up; that's when an amusing incident took place between the two, as the Ferrari driver recalled during the press conference ahead of the Italian GP:

"When I didn’t do well he would say “give them hell” but he would always say the word a**holes. I remember at the beginning I never understood. I was like ‘What do you mean? You mean give them hell?’ and he was like “No, give them a**holes.""

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton received a five-place grid drop for the Italian GP after failing to slow down for yellow flags during the reconnaissance laps at the Dutch GP.

---

Lewis Hamilton is ready to take on a challenging first home race for Ferrari

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Italy race weekend - Source: Getty

Qualifying has not been Lewis Hamilton's strength during the 2025 season, as he trails Charles Leclerc 4-11 in the intra-team battle during the qualifying sessions. With an additional five-place grid drop heading his way for the race on Sunday, the seven-time champion's workload for the weekend has already been increased.

But, despite this, Hamilton is ready to take on his first race at Monza while donning the Scuderia overalls, as he said (via BBC):

"I did lift. Just to their mind not enough. To get the penalty and (licence) penalty points was pretty hardcore. Not great when you're going into your first Monza GP for Ferrari, but it gives me more to fight for."

Meanwhile, Hamilton has achieved impressive results at the Italian GP over the years. The Brit has won the fabled race five times in his career. Moreover, he has scored seven poles at the circuit, so he has a stellar qualifying and race record at the track.

Though McLaren has the overwhelming advantage as per the performance trends, a podium finish in front of the tifosi would be the target for both Ferrari drivers heading into the Italian GP.