Lauda 'wakens from coma' after lung transplant

Reports from Austria have claimed that Niki Laua is now awake and breathing on his own after being in a serious condition following his lung transplant, which left him breathing via a heart-lung machine and deemed to be in an extremely critical condition.

Lauda underwent the surgey in Vienna on Thursday and doctors were realistic about his chances, with patients only expected to live for a short period after such a serious operation.

But yesterday head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Walter Klepetko, said: "Considering the not very easy circumstances we are very, very happy with the developments", leading to optimism about his condition.

Now Austrian channel OE24 has confirmed that Lauda is awake, and though a little confused is breathing normally and so the apparatus attached can be removed, and he can begin his long road to recovery, one that looked most unlikely just a few days ago.

Lauda had been suffering from a severe form of pneumonia, and as his condition worsened it became clear that a new lung was required - one that was swiftly found, on Wednesday.

Doctors believe that Lauda will be able to breathe, speak and eat normally within a few weeks, but it is unlikely that he will be present at any Formula 1 action until October at the very earliest. Klepetko is confident that the 69-year-old should be able to work at the same capacity as previously, saying: ""He will be an old man again, [but] he will be able to fly again, even work as before."

Members of the Mercedes team including Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton issued messages of support to their stricken colleague, with Wolff saying: "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.”