McLaren slapped Lauda with three-race ban

McLaren slapped a three-race ban on Niki Lauda after the triple world champion’s hefty criticism of Lewis Hamilton recently.

After Montreal, Austrian legend Lauda - now the regular pundit for Germany’s RTL coverage - called McLaren’s Hamilton "completely mad" and warned that his aggressive driving "will result in someone getting killed".

Auto Motor und Sport magazine reveals that McLaren’s media manager Matt Bishop responded by banning Lauda from interviewing Briton Hamilton for three races.

Lauda subsequently met with team boss Martin Whitmarsh in Valencia and "smoothed things out", according to the German report.

"I’m a fan of Hamilton’s," the 62-year-old insists. "I only wish he would sometimes use more of his brain."