Watch: Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes share heartfelt tribute for Niki Lauda

Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes F1 team shared a heartfelt tribute for their former mentor Niki Lauda, ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. The gesture comes on Lauda's fifth death anniversary. The former three-time world champion, who had been battling kidney problems for a long time, passed away in 2019 just before the race in the principality.

The Austrian was one of the key members behind the success of the German outfit in the turbo hybrid era from 2014 till his passing. The 70-year-old was known for not shying away from giving his honest opinion on the performance of the team and its drivers after races.

The Mercedes F1 team shared a post on X paying tribute to the F1 icon, with Lewis Hamilton reminiscing about his time with Lauda. He said:

"I would describe Niki as a storyteller. He had the most amazing stories just about back in the days when he was racing. He had a really big heart and he was so funny, he had the best stories of all the little things he got in trouble for. Even though he wasn't racing, it was almost like he was racing, the way he was pushing," Lewis Hamilton said.

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Lewis Hamilton on the importance of winning the 2019 Monaco GP

Lewis Hamilton said in 2023 that winning the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix was important for him to honor Niki Lauda, who had passed away that week.

Reacting to a video of his iconic moments with Mercedes, the seven-time world champion reminisced about dedicating his helmet to his friend and nearly losing the race:

“So this was the race in Monaco in 2019 where I dedicated a helmet to him and it was a really special day to be honest because we nearly lost the race. And it was so important for me to win that race for Niki and I don’t know why, but I guess it’s because that was that week that Niki had left us, so it would mean so much to me if I got that win," Hamilton said.

Lewis Hamilton managed to hold on to his race lead despite the challenge from a fast Max Verstappen, who had fresher tires than the British driver. Still, Hamilton took full advantage of Monaco's tight and twisty layout to take home an emotional victory.

He added that he was 'physically and mentally drained' after the race, adding:

"I remember getting back, I was so spent I went straight to bed, I didn’t get up and go to dinner, I didn’t get up and celebrate my win. Of course, you’re looking back and you’re like, ‘I wish I did', but I just didn’t have the energy, I was so mentally and physically drained and also just sad that I lost a friend.”

Niki Lauda was one of the main reasons for Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, as the three-time world champion had convinced him to join the team ahead of the Turbo-Hybrid era in 2014.

The move resulted in six world championships for Hamilton and eight Constructor's Championships for the German team.