The new contract between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton is official!
+++ Monday, February 8th, High Noon: Finally it’s official! As F1-Insider.com exclusively reported last week, the new contract between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes is done. This has just been confirmed by the F1-team from Brackley.
The text of the press release
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton agree new contract for 2021
- Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will race together for a ninth season in 2021
- New agreement includes joint commitment for greater diversity and inclusion
- With six drivers’ championships and 74 race wins, Lewis is the most successful driver in the history of the Silver Arrows
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is pleased to announce that the reigning Formula One World Constructors’ Champion and the reigning F1 World Drivers’ Champion will continue together in 2021. The Mercedes works team and Lewis agreed a new contract which will see one of the sport’s most successful ever collaborations continue for a ninth consecutive season.
A significant part of the new agreement builds upon the joint commitment to greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport that was made last year by Lewis and Mercedes. This will take the form of a joint charitable foundation, which will have the mission of supporting greater diversity and inclusion in all its forms in motorsport.
Lewis 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. 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. In 2020, he broke Michael Schumacher’s win record and is now all-time race win record holder in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton
“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.
“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.”
Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal
“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.”
Markus Schäfer, Non-Executive Chairman
“We’re very happy to keep the most successful F1 driver of the current era in the most successful F1 team of the current era. Lewis is not only an incredibly talented driver; he also works very hard for his achievements and is extremely hungry. He shares his passion for performance with the entire team which is why this collaboration has become so successful. But Lewis is also a warm-hearted personality who cares deeply about the world around him and wants to make an impact. As a company, Mercedes-Benz shares this sense of responsibility and is proud to commit to a new, joint foundation to improve diversity in motorsport. Opening the sport to under-represented groups will be important for its development in the future and we’re determined to make a positive impact.”
Hamilton and Mercedes: contract renewal soon to be official
+++ Sunday, February 7th: F1-Insider.com had exclusively reported last week that Lewis Hamilton (36) and Mercedes have agreed on an extension of the contract that has been running since 2013. Now the official announcement is imminent.
F1-Insider has learned: Soon the further cooperation is to be announced – probably already as early as in the first half of the coming week.
READ MORE: HAMILTON AND MERCEDES REACH AGREEMENT
Mercedes continues to remain silent on the topic. “We will comment when we have something to say. As has been the case throughout the process, we will not comment on the many rumors and speculations”, a spokesman for the Silver Arrows said when asked by various media outlets.
F1-Insider.com reported exclusively on Hamilton contract
F1-Insider.com and our partner portals sport1.de and autobild.de had previously reported exclusively that Hamilton would get a one-year contract (plus an option for another year). This would make it official that the Sir-turned-Englishman can set his sights on the next Formula 1 record – the eighth world championship title.
READ MORE: ECCLESTONE’S VERDICT ON HAMILTONS ALLEGED VERSTAPPEN-CLAUSE
Hamilton wants eighth title with Mercedes
“The eighth title is a huge thing, I’m already struggling to say the number, but nevertheless that will be the topic to talk about in 2021”, Hamilton was recently quoted as saying by SportWeek, the magazine of the Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m also totally focused on this title, with a great group of people around me.”
The Briton had moved to Mercedes in 2013, replacing record world champion Michael Schumacher, of all people. Most recently, he had signed a two-year contract that expired at the end of 2020.
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