Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes until 2023, the team announced on Saturday. The deal will extend Hamilton’s stay with Mercedes to 11 years and will take Formula 1’s most successful driver-team combination to the next level heading into 2022.
Lewis Hamilton signs new two-year deal with Mercedes
Earlier on Saturday, British manufacturer Mercedes announced that Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with the team. This deal also means that Hamilton is committed to F1 until at least the age of 38, with 2023 set to be his 17th season.
The agreement, which was announced just hours before qualifying for Sundayâs Austrian Grand Prix, is a remarkable statement of intent from the English driver, whose future in the sport had come under heavy speculation amid his current deal with Mercedes. Hamilton had previously signed a one-year deal with Mercedes in February, just before the start of the current season.
While speaking on his contract extension, Hamilton said, “It is hard to believe itâs been nearly nine years working with this incredible team and Iâm still extremely excited weâre going to continue our partnership for two more years,â
Hamilton, who has won six of his seven titles with Mercedes, added that he was still keen on more glory with the English manufacturer, “Weâve accomplished so much together but we still have a lot to achieve, both on and off the track. Iâm incredibly proud and grateful for how Mercedes has supported me in my drive to improve diversity and equality in our sport.”
The identity of Hamiltonâs teammate for the future still remains unclear, but it is believed to be a call between Valtteri Bottas, who has been with the team since 2017 or Mercedes junior George Russell, who has been impressive, to say the least, with his performances at Williams.
Hamilton is currently in second place on the championship standings this season, 18 points behind leader Max Verstappen in a hotly-contested championship battle between Mercedes and Red Bull.
He has won three of the eight races so far this campaign and will start the Austrian GP race on Sunday in P4.
Lewis Hamilton honours, F1 career and social activity
Hamilton signed up with the McLaren young driver program in 1998 and became an official Formula One McLaren driver in 2007. He is the first and only black racecar driver in the sport.
Hamiltonâs decision to extend his contract with Mercedes is also of major import for F1, with the world champion being by far its most globally recognised F1 driver. Hamilton has 22.8 million followers on Instagram and another 6.4 million on Twitter.
He has been publicly outspoken on equality and diversity in the recent past and has been key in encouraging F1âs effort to improve in both areas. Last season, Hamilton was one of the few F1 drivers who spoke out on the BLM movement following George Floyd’s death.
Fans react to Hamilton’s contract extension with Mercedes
Fans on social media were also quick to react to the news of Hamilton’s contract extension with Mercedes. Even Valterri Bottas had a special message for his teammate.
