Wolff: "Niki Lauda is a real fighter

After finally leaving the hospital to continue his recovery in a clinic, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has praised his colleague and friend Niki Lauda for his fighting mentality while the Austrian was hospitalized.

Lauda was in critical condition after collapsing during his holiday in Ibiza this summer. He was flown over to Vienna, where he needed a lung transplant in order to survive. The 69-year-old has left the hospital by now, three months after first checking in, as the doctors needed to check whether the new lung wouldn't be rejected by Lauda's body.

Wolff, a colleague and a very close friend of the three-time champion, was quick to mention that the speedy recovery was because of Lauda's fighter mentality.

"Like everyone at Mercedes, I'm more than happy that Lauda has been able to take the next step as he has left the hospital," Wolff told Bild.

Still, Wolff remains cautious about his fellow countryman.

Wolff concluded the interview with a good anecdote from his last visit to Lauda.

Not only Wolff, but Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have also expressed their happiness with Lauda making his recovery.