Monaco GP: Lewis Hamilton excused media duties following Niki Lauda death

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Lewis Hamilton in MonacoImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Lewis Hamilton finished third in Monaco last year and was the last Mercedes driver to win this race - back in 2016

Lewis Hamilton was exempted from his media duties before the Monaco Grand Prix on Wednesday following the death of Niki Lauda.

Hamilton was set to attend the official news conference but his Mercedes team asked for him to be excused.

Lauda was the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes team and was close to Hamilton, having been instrumental in persuading him to join in 2013.

Mercedes are planning a tribute to Lauda on their cars during the weekend.

And team members will wear black armbands in honour of the 70-year-old Austrian, a three-time world champion and an iconic figure in Formula 1.

The sport is also planning events to honour Lauda, although the details have not yet been made public.

Hamilton's place in the official FIA news conference was taken by his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn said: "Really shocking news to start the week. He meant a lot to me but also to every single team member. He was a big part of the Mercedes family.

"He was a massive motivation for everyone, and for me - everything he achieved, the difficult career he had, the comebacks: I will never ever forget.

"Not the best mindset for the weekend but I am sure as a team we can can turn it into motivation."

Other drivers in the news conference also paid tribute to Lauda.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen said: "Niki was a legend of the sport. He achieved a lot, but he was also a very generous and funny guy."

Media caption,

This video has been removed for rights reasons

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc added: "I didn't have many chances to meet with Niki but the very few times I spoke him him, he was extremely nice.

"He was always available and also very humble [despite] what he achieved. He is a great example for the sport in general and he will be missed a lot."

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, Leclerc's team-mate, said: "Niki leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. He was a genuine motor racing icon."

Lauda won two of his three world titles for Ferrari, in 1975 and 1977, and team principal Mattia Binotto said: "The run-up to this Monaco Grand Prix has been perturbed by our sadness at the news of Niki's death.

"His straightforward, no-nonsense approach will be missed in Formula 1 and it will seem strange for all of us not seeing him in the paddock.

"Niki was a standard bearer for Ferrari and for Formula 1 and he pushed through changes in motor racing that made it even more professional, being ahead of his time in terms of being a stickler for detail which is now very much a key element of our sport."

Hamilton leads the championship by seven points from Bottas after five races so far this season, in which the Mercedes drivers have finished one-two on each occasion.

Their closest rival is Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who is 46 points behind Hamilton, two ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who is seven in front of team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Monaco Grand Prix coverage details

Date

Session

Time

Radio coverage

Online text commentary

Wednesday, 22 May

Preview

19:00-20:00 - Listen here

BBC Radio 5 Live

Thursday, 23 May

First practice

09:55-11:35

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

From 09:30

Second practice

13:55-15:35

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

From 13:30

Saturday, 25 May

Third practice

10:55-12:05

BBC Sport online

From 10:30

Qualifying

13:55-15:05

BBC Sport online

From 13:00

Sunday, 26 May

Race

13:00-16:00

BBC Radio 5 Live

From 12:30

Monday, 27 May

Review

04:30-05:00

BBC Radio 5 Live

Chequered Flag podcast: Monaco Grand Prix review - download here once the race has finished

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