Ross Brawn has explained how Niki Lauda was the man who orchestrated Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes.

With Michael Schumacher retiring for the second time at the end of 2012, the German manufacturer faced a dilemma to sign a top name driver alongside Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton's results at McLaren had been poor with a best championship position of fourth since his maiden Formula 1 title in 2008, but it was that reason which made talks quite tricky.

"Our first common job was to bring Lewis Hamilton into the team. Niki was crucial in this process," Brawn, who was Mercedes boss a the time, is quoted by GPFans.

"I convinced Lewis to visit us, but it was Niki who persuaded the Mercedes board to give us the money for Lewis and that was no easy task.

"It turned out to be an important moment on the team's current path."

Having got their man, Brawn would only stay for one more year due to disagreements with current boss Toto Wolff and Lauda.

That being said, the current motorsport director for Liberty Media acknowledges the triple F1 champion's influence on Mercedes' eventual success.

"I have to admit that he had a rather relentless approach and that there were many situations in which we clashed," Brawn said.

"But I think we found a good working relationship during the Mercedes time that the team ultimately benefited from, and Niki's advice has always been valuable – not on operational issues, but on the big picture.

"His legacy is huge. He was an important part of the development of the team that currently dominates Formula 1 and could possibly be the most successful in the history of the sport."

Also Read:

• Lauda wanted Mercedes to power Red Bull for the competition
• Mercedes boss Wolff pays tribute to Lauda: 'F1 has lost its biggest icon'
• Hakkinen explains why Hamilton's win in Monaco was 'Lauda-style'

Speaking last weekend in Monaco, Hamilton also reflected on that period which ultimately led to his career-defining move.

"When I found out the other day, I was just thinking because I remembered getting a call from Niki in 2012," he told RaceFans.

"We had never really spoken, me and Niki. So he's on the phone and he's like, 'no, you should come to Mercedes, this is where you need to be'.

"I remember that was the first time we started talking.

"I had always talked about how Ross [Brawn] was the convincing element in me coming to the team because when I went and sat down with him, he explained what the team was doing, where it was going, their plans.

"I truly believed in that vision but Niki was the one that brought it to me and got it across the line."