You wait ages, and then… Mercedes has announced not one, but two driver contracts, with seven-time world champ Lewis Hamilton and race-winner George Russell retained for the next two seasons. Get in there Lew-orge!
For Lewis, it ends months of speculation (and some wild Ferrari rumours) about his future, with a new deal keeping him in F1 until the end of 2025 at least.
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That would mean a 13th consecutive season with Mercedes, by the end of which he’ll be just a few weeks short of his 41st birthday. Looks like someone is hungry for that elusive eighth world title…
Meanwhile George Russell has extended his contract for the next two years. The British driver has performed pretty well against Hamilton in their year-and-a-half as teammates so far, landing his first grand prix victory in Brazil last season.
“We dream everyday of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal,” said Hamilton. “Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it's been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team.
“We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I'm grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn't finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won't stop until we do.”
Russell added: “After stepping up to the Mercedes race seat last year, I wanted to reward the trust and belief that Toto and the rest of the team placed in me. Taking my first pole position and race win last year was an unforgettable feeling. More importantly though, it's been great to work with everybody at Brackley and Brixworth to make progress with our car and push forward our development. Their loyalty, vision and hard work is inspiring.
"We have made some significant steps over the last 18 months and are only getting stronger as a team. I'm excited to help continue to build on that momentum as we progress into 2024 and 2025 as we continue to focus on returning to the very front of the pack."
Team principal Toto Wolff had this to say: “Continuing with our current driver line-up was a straightforward decision. We have the strongest pairing on the grid and both drivers are playing a crucial role in the team to move us forward. The strength and stability they provide will be key building blocks for our future success."
With its driver line-up sorted, Mercedes can now focus on its car: the team has been plagued with issues since new ground-effect aero rules were introduced last season, while Red Bull has utterly dominated. It's won all but five grands prix in 2022 and every single race so far in 2023. Lots of catching up to do, in other words.
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
