Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko thinks his friend Niki Lauda won't be coming back to the grid any time soon, with the three-time champion still recovering from his lung transplant and illness.
Marko and Lauda work on rivalling teams, on Red Bull and Mercedes respectively, but they have established a good friendship over the years.
Last summer, Lauda fell really ill, suddenly needing a lung transplant when falling ill on his summer vacation on Ibiza.
He seemed to have recovered, but during the Christmas break, Lauda suffered a big setback, probably ruling him out until the season is up and running already.
"It's an unfamiliar situation for me now. I'm lonely at breakfast and there's not someone who can replace him," Marko told RTL about his current winter test in Barcelona.
"Thank God he is better, but it will take some time before he can be among so many people."