Emotional tributes to Niki Lauda at Monaco Grand Prix

Mercedes are running a scarlet halo in front of the cockpit for the weekend, with a farewell message for their non-executive chairman. There's a small hint of irony here, however. Lauda, never afraid to speak his mind, was not a fan of the new protective measure in front of a driver's head — believing that a degree of danger simply came with the territory in F1.

Niki Lauda won his first two titles at Ferrari, with his trademark scarlet helmet a perfect fit at the Italian team. At Monaco, Sebastian Vettel will wear this in the 70-year-old's memory. The times have changed somewhat, of course. The 2019 version is covered with rather more adverts than Lauda's was; and the one old sponsor Marlboro is now Philip Morris' "Mission Winnow" e-cigarette venture.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff lauded Lauda's no-nonsense approach: "I feel that we have lost what was the heart and soul of Formula 1. Niki Lauda could say everything he wanted. Sometimes it gave the communications teams gray hair! But Niki's comment would be, 'who cares?' In today's corporate world, it was so refreshing and important for F1 to have someone who just didn't care."

Lauda may have won his titles at Ferrari and McLaren, but his most recent post in the paddock was as part of Mercedes' management. Lewis Hamilton, a friend of Lauda's, was excused media duties on Thursday as a result of the Austrian's passing. Lauda convinced Hamilton to join Mercedes in 2013, when the move appeared to be a gamble, at best. Four titles in six years followed.

Monaco's one of F1's truly timeless venues. The street circuit has not changed much since Lauda's days. Lauda won twice around the principality, on his way to his first world championship in 1975, and early in the 1976 season, before his life-changing accident at the Nürburgring.

As in the successful seasons between 1974 and 1977, the Ferraris will bear Niki Lauda's name in white for this weekend's race. Ferrari go into the race in real need of a result, after Mercedes finished 1-2 in all five of the races so far this season — something no other team has ever achieved.

Toro Rosso, yet another F1 team brimming with Austrian DNA, will also carry a tribute to the 1970s hero. The grid is reportedly in discussions to hold a minute's silence in Lauda's honor on race day on Sunday. One F1 veteran, Mark Gallagher, joked on Twitter that the paddock should consider a tribute to match Lauda's persona, suggesting "2 minutes of no-bullshit, plain speaking in the paddock."

Haas Grand Prix will also pay homage to the Viennese racer this weekend. The US-owned team captioned a photo of their repainted "shark fin" above the car's engine cover with a simple message: "Remembering Niki. In our thoughts this weekend."