24/05/2019
NEWS STORY
F1 is to mark the passing of three-time champion Niki Lauda with a minute's silence before Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
In a bid to pay further tribute to the Austrian, who passed away earlier this week, all 20 drivers, as well as dignitaries and a number of Lauda’s contemporaries and peers will each hold a red cap during the ceremony, the three-time world champion having sported a red cap ever since his 1976 crash at the Nurburgring.
While Mercedes has announced that in tribute to its chairman the Halo device on its two cars will be painted red this weekend, F1, the FIA, the Automobile Club de Monaco and the teams are inviting all fans attending the race to pay their own tribute to Lauda by wearing a red cap, displaying a message on a banner, or simply applaud, while those watching from the yachts have been invited to sound their klaxons.
The minute's silence will take place at 14.53 (local time), 17 minutes before the start of the race.
While Mercedes team members are wearing black armbands throughout the weekend, a number of teams are sporting tributes to the Austrian, while Sebastian Vettel is wearing a Lauda-inspired helmet design, "based on his last Ferrari helmet".
"I thought that maybe it was nice to take him along for a final couple of laps around Monaco," said the German.