Mercedes, Hamilton issue well-wishes to Lauda

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff paid tribute to "an F1 legend with incredible power and resilience" as Niki Lada continues to recover in Vienna General Hospital following a lung transplant. Lauda was reportedly taken ill while on holiday in Spain and has missed the last two grands prix in Germany and Hungary.

Although Lauda remains in intensive care, a surgeon who operated on the three-time F1 champion delivered a positive update on his condition.

Walter Klepetko told Austrian broadcaster ORF: "Everything is currently going very well and we are very satisfied."

Klepetko dismissed any notion that Lauda may have suffered the issues as a result of inhaling smoke in his fiery crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix which left him with severe burns.

"One can absolutely assume that lung transplantation is not a late consequence of the fire accident," he said.

Mercedes led tributes to Lauda, with Ferrari also paying tribute, having powered Lauda to two of his three drivers' crowns in 1975 and 1977

Lewis Hamilton wishes Niki Lauda well on Instagram as the Mercedes chairman recovers on hospital after a lung transplant.#F1 (???? @lewishamilton) pic.twitter.com/CrIlMioIDI — GP Fans Global (@GPFansGlobal) August 4, 2018

Forza Niki pic.twitter.com/SUHQ8FaWKe — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 3, 2018

Although we should enjoy the start of our summer holidays this evening, none of us at Mercedes will pretend that we feel happy - our thoughts are rather with Niki, Birgit and the Lauda family. The world knows Niki as an F1 legend with incredible power and resilience. For all of us at Mercedes he is our chairman, our mentor and our friend. We have missed him by our side in Hockenheim and Hungary, and can’t wait to have him back with us on the Grand Prix tracks of this world. The recovery he now faces is not a race. But knowing Niki, I’m sure he will soon be telling every nurse and doctor that he has had enough of the hospital. We wish him a safe and speedy recovery - in that order - and send all our positive energy to him and his family. I miss you my friend – Toto . . . . . #nikilauda #lauda #totowolff #wolff #mercedes #mercedesbenz #mercedesamg #formula1 #f1 #lewishamilton #valtteribottas

A post shared by Mercedes-AMG F1 (@mercedesamgf1) on Aug 3, 2018 at 10:32am PDT

Good luck to two of my favourite F1 people. Niki Lauda is recovering from a lung operation, get well soon legend, you are one tough human being. And horsepower to @danielricciardo taking a punchy new career direction, expect a Renault impossibly late on the brakes in 2019 — Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) August 3, 2018