Wolff looking forward to Lauda return in 2019

40

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is confident that the team's non-executive chairman Niki Lauda will be back with them in the pit lane next season.

Lauda suffered a serious illness during the summer that led to an emergency lung transplant. He's now on the mend and undergoing rehabilitation after several months in hospital in Vienna following the major procedure.

Lauda's absence left a big hole in the Mercedes trackside operation, and Wolff says he can't wait to get his partner in crime back in the new year.

“We’ve been leading this team together for the last five years,” he pointed out. “So I’ve noticed his absence more than anyone, as a sparring partner and as a friend.

“That’s why I’m looking forward to 2019, so we can walk this path together again.”

Lauda touched by hand-written letter from Vettel

Mercedes was neck-and-neck in the championship battle when Lauda was taken ill while on holiday with his family. The lung disease was unrelated to his 1976 crash at the Nurburgring in 1976, when he inadvertently breathed in noxious fumes and fire.

Lauda has also undergone a recent heart bypass, while in the past he had a kidney removed. This made his recovery from the lung transplant more complicated.

Wolff conceded that the impact of Lauda's most recent crisis on the team made it even harder for them to keep focus and emerge victorious in the second half of the season.

“Last season was a real battle, where things went up and down," recalled Wolff. “Then we had to process the shock of Niki.

“It first looked like an innocent illness," he added. "But that changed dramatically within a few hours. Every minute counted to get him to the hospital in Vienna."

Since being allowed to go home, Lauda has posted a video message to fans on social media and talked warmly of the handwitten message he received from Sebastian Vettel.

It's not yet known whether Lauda will be well enough to jet halfway around the world for the first race of the new season in March. But Wolff is confident that the three-time F1 world champion will be back at some point during the year.

“I don’t doubt he’ll come back. That will definitely happen,” he said, before quickly playing down expectations.

“Only the doctors and Niki make announcements about that,” he cautioned. “Preferably I’d like to see him back at the season opener in Australia, but his health has the priority.”

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.