Just in:"Lewis Hamilton, baby!" - When Shaquille O'Neal dropped a hilarious 3-word response to Martin......

Just in:”Lewis Hamilton, baby!” – When Shaquille O’Neal dropped a hilarious 3-word response to Martin Brundle during the gridwalk…read more

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal once shared his support for former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 world champion enjoys a massive fan following across the world with not just motorsports fans but also celebrities from all walks of life.

During his time away from the track, the British driver often spends his time in the USA amongst celebrity friends from the fields of entertainment, music, fashion, and sports. Some of those famous names are often spotted in the F1 paddock during race weekends, extending their support for the 105-time race winner.

On one such occasion during the inaugural race in Las Vegas last year, in his popular “Grid Walk” segment for Sky Sports, former F1 driver and pundit Martin Brundle caught up with Shaquille O’Neal before the race, leading to a hilarious sequence of events. O’Neal gave a short sharp response to Brundle asking the former LA Lakers star how he was, as he walked on. O’Neal said,

Lewis Hamilton will be joining Ferrari in 2025 on a multi-year deal after ending his 12-year stint with Mercedes.

Mercedes team principal chimes in on Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said Lewis Hamilton would always be a part of the German team despite leaving the Brackley-based outfit at the end of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Appearing on the “Beyond the Grid” podcast, Wolff said:

There is no such thing as an end to the relationship that Mercedes has with Lewis, neither what we as a team have nor I and Susie [Wolff, wife] personally. On the contrary.

“I think Lewis has decided to do something else for the last part of his career, which I understand but he’s always going to be part of that family and always welcome in the family. And one day, maybe when the driving ends, there’s going to be plenty of adventures we’re going to embark on.”

The Austrian also said former three-time F1 world champion and Mercedes advisor Niki Lauda should be given the credit for bringing Hamilton into the German team’s fold. He said,

“Without Niki, there wouldn’t be any Lewis with Mercedes. I think Niki was so persistent in trying to convince him to join Mercedes and, particularly, he just scored the goal with him on that Sunday night in Singapore, where Lewis DNF’d with the McLaren and convinced him to join the team. Everything else just followed suit. I’m not sure Niki was ever given enough credit for that.”

Hamilton got a memorable farewell from Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi GP. He addressed the team’s bases in Brackley and Brixworth and also made a trip to Kuala Lumpur and Stuttgart to say goodbye to the German team’s partners.

The Austrian also said former three-time F1 world champion and Mercedes advisor Niki Lauda should be given the credit for bringing Hamilton into the German team’s fold. He said,

“Without Niki, there wouldn’t be any Lewis with Mercedes. I think Niki was so persistent in trying to convince him to join Mercedes and, particularly, he just scored the goal with him on that Sunday night in Singapore, where Lewis DNF’d with the McLaren and convinced him to join the team. Everything else just followed suit. I’m not sure Niki was ever given enough credit for that.”

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