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Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes which will keep him in Formula 1 until the end of the 2023 season. Lewis has been at Mercedes since the start of 2013, securing six of his seven world championships with the team. The new deal means the third-oldest driver in Formula 1 will stay in the sport till the age of 38. Lewis said in a statement he still had more to achieve with Mercedes on and off the track.
"It is hard to believe it's been nearly nine years working with this incredible team and I'm excited we're going to continue our partnership for two more years," Hamilton said.
"I'm incredibly proud and grateful of how Mercedes has supported me in my drive to improve diversity and equality in our sport,” he added.
"Thank you to all the dedicated and talented individuals at Mercedes whose hard work makes it all possible and the board for their continued trust in me. We're entering a new era of cars which will be challenging and exciting and I can't wait to see what else we can achieve together," Hamilton concluded.
Team Principal Toto Wolff was delighted to hear this contract extension of the current world champion. "As we enter a new era of F1 from 2022 onwards, there can be no better driver to have in our team than Lewis," said the team boss.
"We are relishing the battle we have on our hands this year - and that's why we also wanted to agree to this contract early, so we have no distractions from the competition on the track,” Wolff added.
Hamilton currently stands in second place behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the driver’s championship, trailing him by 6 points. We can expect a tough competition between the two this season for the coveted title.