Lewis Hamilton has posted an emotional message on social media regarding his mentor Niki Lauda, on what would have been the legendary Formula 1 driver's 71st birthday.

The former world champion died in May 2019 and his loss was felt across the whole of racing, and particularly within Mercedes, where Lauda had been non-executive chairman since 2012 until his passing.

Hamilton had often discussed the special relationship he maintained with the Austrian, and paid tribute to his friend in a a post on his Instagram page.

He said: "Today we celebrate Niki’s 71st birthday.

"It would have been so nice to have him there at testing earlier this week. He would always say “Give it a**holes” before a race. I hope we can continue to make him proud 🙏🏾 Happy Birthday Niki."

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Today we celebrate Niki’s 71st birthday. It would have been so nice to have him there at testing earlier this week. He would always say “Give it a**holes” before a race. I hope we can continue to make him proud 🙏🏾 Happy Birthday Niki ❤️

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on Feb 22, 2020 at 5:28am PST