Lewis Hamilton excused from Monaco Grand Prix press conference in wake of Niki Lauda's death

Lewis Hamilton was excused from Wednesday's press conference previewing the Monaco Grand Prix following the death of Niki Lauda.

The world champion, 34, had been due to appear on stage in Monte Carlo alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

But following the death of Mercedes' non-executive chairman Lauda, the Englishman was told by Formula One's governing body, the FIA, that he did not need to attend.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We have asked for Lewis to be excused in the circumstances following yesterday's news. The FIA have kindly agreed a dispensation."

An arranged media session with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was postponed until Thursday.

Lauda, who joined the Silver Arrows in 2012, died on Monday.

Paying tribute to the Austrian on Twitter on Tuesday, Hamilton wrote: "I’m struggling to believe you are gone. I will miss our conversations, our laughs, the big hugs after winning races together.

"God rest your soul. Thank you for being a bright light in my life. I’ll always be here for your family should they ever need me. Love you man."

Valtteri Bottas replaced team-mate Hamilton at Wednesday's press conference.

"It meant a lot to me, but also to every single team member," said the Finn as he reflected on Lauda's death.

"Niki was a big part of the Mercedes family. He was a massive motivation for myself as a driver for everything he achieved and the difficult career he had, with the comeback.

"It is not nice in terms of a mindset to the team, but I am sure we can respect Niki by going flat out on track and getting a good result this weekend."

Verstappen said: "Niki was a legend of the sport. He achieved a lot in his career, but also after his career had finished - he was generous and funny.

"He was a great guy and it is a big loss to Formula One."

Additional reporting by the Press Association