Lewis Hamilton has ended weeks of speculation about his future by signing a contract extension with Mercedes AMG F1.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 have announced that the reigning Formula One Champion will continue to drive for the team in 2021. The Mercedes works team and Hamilton agreed a new contract which will see one of the sport’s most successful ever collaborations continue for a ninth consecutive season.
The Brit has won six World Championships with the team and will be hoping to have more success this year, with the goal of beating Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven World Championships.
A statement from Hamilton read:
“I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates. Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.
✍️ #AnnounceLewis pic.twitter.com/EFoDLGLDIl
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 8, 2021
“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”
Hamilton made his F1 debut with Mercedes F1 engine customer team McLaren in 2007 and has been powered in all his 266 Grands Prix by Mercedes-Benz engines, winning the 2008 World Championship with McLaren. He joined the Mercedes works team in 2013 and has since won 74 F1 races as well as six Drivers’ Championships with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
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In 2020, he broke Michael Schumacher’s win record and is now all-time race win record holder in Formula One.
Toto Wolff, team principal and CEO is pleased to be continuing the partnership.
“We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process. Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport. Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”
