Lauda to be honored with special tributes at Monaco GP

Special tributes will be held in memory of Formula One great Niki Lauda at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday.

The three-time champion died on Monday at the age of 70 , less than one year after undergoing a lung transplant. The Austrian driver won two of his three F1 titles after coming back from a horrific crash that left him fighting for his life in a burning car at the 1976 German Grand Prix.

A minute's silence will be held at 2:53 p.m. local time, with all 20 drivers on the grid — along with contemporaries and peers of Lauda — holding a red cap in tribute.

The name of three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda is written on Romain Grosjean's Haas race car, top, during the second practice session at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Thursday, May 23, 2019. Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda, who won two of his titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation industry, has died on May 21, 2109. He was 70. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Lauda, who was scarred for life and lost most of his right ear following his accident, stood out in the paddock in recent years because of his distinctive red cap.

He won 25 races, including two in Monaco, and fans watching Sunday's race are encouraged to pay their own tributes.

"They can either wear a red cap, display a message on a banner, or simply applaud," F1 said in a statement Friday. "Those watching from the yachts in the harbor can sound their klaxons, anything appropriate to honor the memory of one of the sport's true heroes."

In recent years, Lauda worked as a non-executive chairman at Mercedes alongside head of motorsport Toto Wolff.

They became close friends and Wolff paid a moving tribute to Lauda .

Lauda played a key role in persuading Lewis Hamilton to join Mercedes in 2013, after the British driver left McLaren.

Hamilton has won four of his five titles under the guidance of Lauda and Wolff, with Mercedes winning every drivers' and constructors' title since 2014.

In Thursday's practice sessions, Hamilton carried the message 'Thanks Niki' on his car, and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel had Lauda's name on his racing helmet.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Thousands of spectators looked on as the mishap took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the mishap.

Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said one of the cars veered off the track and crashed into spectators and officials of the event. Seven people, including four officials, were killed and another 20 were being treated at a hospital, said Thalduwa. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.

Thalduwa said police have launched an investigation into the accident, which was the 17th out of 24 events scheduled. The race was suspended after the accident.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered at the race circuit at a Sri Lankan military academy. The event was organized by the Sri Lankan army and Sri Lanka Automobile Sports.

People attend to the injured after a racing car crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

People gather around a car that had crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)