Niki Lauda is recovering well in an Austrian hospital following his lung transplant according to one of the doctors that operated on him.
The 69-year-old was flown by private jet from Ibiza to Austria's AKH Vienna hospital after falling ill whilst on holiday and immediately underwent a lung transplant.
Dr Walter Klepetko, head of thoracic surgery at AKH, confirmed that Lauda's operation went according to plan and revealed that the need for a new lung wasn't related to his fiery crash at the Nurburgring in 1976 when he came close to losing his life.
"Everything is currently going very well and we are very satisfied [with his recovery so far]," Dr Klepetko told Austria's ORF broadcaster, before adding: "One can definitely assume that [the need for] lung transplantation is not a late consequence of the accident."
Lauda is expected to remain in hospital for many weeks with an expected recovery period of between three and four weeks for someone of his age.
On Friday, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, who works closely with Lauda, who holds the position of non-executive chairman of Mercedes AMG F1 Team, issued the following statement via the team.
"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.
"The recovery he faces is not a race. But I'm sure he will soon be telling every nurse and doctor that he has had enough of 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."
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