The reason behind Vettel's absence at Lauda's funeral

Sebastian Vettel was a surprise absentee from Niki Lauda's funeral but the reason behind it has been explained by the German having to attend the launch of a new Ferrari supercar.

It is reported by sport.de that the four-time World Champion was tied into helping present the SF90 Stradale a new supercar produced by the Scuderia. The event was accompanied by a minutes silence in memory of the F1 great Lauda who sadly passed away at the age of 70 on the Monday before the Monaco Grand Prix. 

The Austrian won two World Championships at Vettel's current team in 1974 and 1977. He went on to win a third title whilst driving for McLaren in 1984 but he will always be remembered for his near-fatal accident at the Nurburgring in 1976. He was racing again just weeks later and won the title the following year.

Lauda was remembered at a mass at St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna followed by a private service. F1 stars past and present were in attendance which saw Lauda's coffin decorated with a wreath and his iconic red helmet.