Toto Wolff’s emotional message for an ailing Niki Lauda

Niki Lauda is recovering from a lung transplant in Vienna, after having moved to a hospital there post a ‘summer flu’ scare in Ibiza.

The lung transplant was necessary due to Lauda’s condition at that point and the operation was carried out successfully.

However, news from Vienna yesterday suggested that Lauda was in ‘artificial coma’ in order to recuperate from the operation.

The situation is under control, but Lauda is definitely ailing and the Mercedes family is concerned.

Toto Wolff released a statement for his friend and mentor Niki Lauda yesterday, wishing him well in his recovery.

He wanted Lauda and his family to know that the entire Mercedes family was behind them and waiting for Lauda to recover from his situation and get back to doing what he loves most.

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

“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.” Wolff wrote in his statement

“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” he added.

Lauda is a fighter in every sense of the word and you can count on him coming back strongly from this situation.

The Mercedes team would until then continue to perform well on the race track so as to keep the man happy and satisfied whilst in recovery.