Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMercedes

Hamilton signs new three-year Mercedes deal

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Lewis Hamilton has finally signed a new contract at Mercedes, signing a three-year deal with the team.

The double world champion's original deal was set to expire at the end of this season and negotiations had been ongoing for a number of months over an extension. Hamilton has now signed a new contract which will run until the end of the 2018 season, and says he and the team share the same desire for further success in the future.

"Mercedes is my home and I couldn't be happier to be staying here for another three years," Hamilton said. "This is a company filled with real passionate racers, from the board room to the factory floor, and an incredible hunger to win. Even after the success of last year, that hunger is greater than ever - and it's the same for me, too.

"The Mercedes car I am driving right now is the best I have ever had in my career; it's just so much fun to be out there every weekend, on the limit and fighting to win at every track. Mercedes-Benz began supporting me in 1998 so I am very proud that this contract means I will mark 20 years with Mercedes in 2018."

Defending champion Hamilton currently leads the drivers' championship by 20 points from team-mate Nico Rosberg, having won three of the opening five races this season and finished second in the other two.

Click here for a look at the technical updates brought by all the teams at the start of the European season

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.