Niki Lauda released from Vienna hospital after flu admission

The 1975, '77 and '84 world champion, who is a non-executive chairman of the Mercedes F1 squad, had been taken ill while on a family holiday in Ibiza over the Christmas period.

He was then admitted to the AKH hospital in Vienna, where he had underwent a lung transplant last summer.

This was so he could be observed closely to ensure that there were no further complications from his condition.

As Lauda's condition has now improved, Walter Klepetko, head of the thoracic department at AKH, confirmed to Austrian news agency APA that Lauda had been given the all clear to leave hospital.

Klepetko emphasised that at no point did the flu infection pose a risk to Lauda's life and said that artificial respiration had not been necessary.

Lauda's admission to the hospital's intensive care unit was only necessary to ensure that his weakened immune system could be monitored more closely.

Lauda missed the final races of the 2018 season as he recovered from his lung operation, and it remains unclear if he will be able to join Mercedes for the 2019 season opener in Australia on March 17.