Lewis Hamilton is no longer with McLaren after agreeing to sign a new Formula F1 contract with Mercedes. Hamilton replaces seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher. In another major move Sergio Perez has signed with McLaren.

Hamilton has spent his entire professional career at McLaren but the team was unwilling to match a lucrative offer made by Mercedes. Lewis will join Nico Rosberg on a three-year contract.

In a statement announcing the move Lewis Hamilton said:

“It is now time for me to take on a fresh challenge and I am very excited to begin a new chapter. Mercedes-Benz has such an incredible heritage in motorsport, along with a passion for winning which I share.

Together, we can grow and rise to this new challenge,” the 27-year-old Hamilton added. “I believe that I can help steer the Silver Arrows to the top and achieve our joint ambitions of winning the world championships.”

The volatile Hamilton won the F1 title in 2008 but since that time has been characterized for a mixture of clashes with fellow drivers marked by moments of brilliant driving.

Hamilton replaces Schumacher who has struggled since joining Mercedes in 2010. After coming out of retirement Schumacher has managed just one podium finish in third place.

Speaking of the decision by Mercedes to replace him Schumacher said:

“I have had three nice years with the team which, unfortunately, did not go as well as we all would have wanted on the sporting side. I wish Lewis well and for the team to achieve the success we worked so hard for in the build-up. I would like to thank the team for their trust and all the guys for their unconditional commitment.”

Do you think Lewis Hamilton will be a good fit on the Mercedes Formula F1 team?

Lewis Hamilton Shakes Up Formula F1 Racing, Signs With Mercedes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula One hasn’t gone according to plan. Having firstly been touted to star for Ferrari in 2009 after Felipe Massa’s horrific injury, he then settled for the new formed Mercedes team but is still yet to win a race in the car.

Now it seems like his time is almost up. Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has said that they face a “difficult decision” over the future of Schumacher, and, with the team having reportedly offered McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton a contract already, it appears like there won’t be enough room for him too.

But if Hamilton decides to stay with McLaren, then there is an outside chance that Schumacher, who wants to continue, will stay. However, senior Mercedes figures believe that the 43 year-old should retire.

Speaking to BBC Radio, Brawn said, “The decision for Michael to stay or not continue is a difficult one. Obviously he’s very involved in that decision, and discussions are ongoing at the moment. Michael has been a huge asset to the team, he’s really taken us forward. I do think Michael contributes an awful lot.” Doesn’t sound too convincing, does he.

Schumacher’s driving partner Nico Rosberg is under contract with the team until 2013 and is likely to stay whilst the German’s contract ends at the end of the current campaign. Plus his performances this season have been far from convincing in races despite having out qualified Nico eight times. It is believed that a decision will be made regarding both Schumacher and Hamilton’s futures very soon, but we’ve been hearing that for several weeks now.

Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes Future Is Still Undecided is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s been a long week for Lewis Hamilton. Last weekend the McLaren driver was supposed to continue to haul back the championship lead of his Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso. Instead, he was forced off at the first corner, thus failing to add to his two victories earlier in the year at Canada and Hungary, and his only consolation came in the fact that he took the Spaniard out of the race with him.

But that doesn’t tell the entire story. Lewis looked to set-up his car in a different fashion to his team-mate Jenson Button and by the end of qualifying it became apparent that he had made the wrong decision, with his fellow Englishman storming to pole position leaving Hamilton languishing in eighth place on the grid.

The 27-year-old then took to twitter to unleash his torment at the way events had transpired and then was asked to take a certain message down by his team as it possessed sensitive information.

But over the last few days rumour and hearsay have started to swirl with an increased intensity over which car the former world champion will be plying his trade with next season.

Former team owner Eddie Jordan insisted that he would be starting 2013 in a Mercedes seat, with Michael Schumacher set to announce his retirement over the coming weeks. Hamilton has since come out and insisted that his plans for next year are still undecided and that all he wants to do is win, he just needs to think where the right place to do so is.

It still seems unfathomable that Lewis won’t be donning the silver suit of McLaren come Australia next year, but the longer his new contract remains unsigned the likelier it is that he won’t be.

Lewis Hamilton’s Future At McLaren Still Remains In The Balance is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Canadian Grand Prix has a champion and its Lewis Hamilton, marking the seventh winner of Formula One’s first seven races of the season, an unprecedented feat for the racing association.

After winning for the third time Hamilton proclaimed:

”I think this mix-up is normal. I think this is going to be normal for this season. I think it’s great for Formula One. It’s great for fans today.”

Hamilton completed the race in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 29.586 seconds Sunday while seated behind his McLaren Mercedes, finishing 2.5 seconds ahead of Lotus’ Romain Grosjean followed by Suaber’s Sergio Perez in third.

Hamilton who used a two-stop attributed his win to “so much traction with fresh tires” while adding ‘I wasn’t able to do it a one-stop. I think I would have fallen farther back, as they did. I think a two-stop was just right.”

Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix in 2007 and again in 2010.

With his win Hamilton now has a two-point lead over Alonso, of Ferrari (88-86).

In the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix rain-delays pushed the event to more than four hours, the longest race in Formula One history, however this year the safety card didn’t make a single appearance

Hamilton completed his second pit stop in the 50th lap and then ran his fastest in Lap 59 when he passed pole-sitter Vettel in Lap 62 and Alonso two laps later.

In a second marked by a close points standing Lewis Hamilton said of his placement:

”We’ve got a win and 25 points, but we’ve only got a two-point lead. It’s incredible how close it is. I think it will stay that close throughout the year.”

Lewis Hamilton Wins Canadian Grand Prix is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lewis Hamilton has won the Hungary Grand Prix for the first time since winning the championship last year, after Fernando Alonso gifted him the lead with a three-wheel pit lane disaster.

Alonso hit the first corner well head of Webber, with Hamilton and Raikkonen fourth and Vettel dropping to seventh after starting on the front row. Hamilton then passed Webber on the third lap and began gaining on Alonso. Alonso then developed some technical problems and went first to the pits on the 12th lap of 70.

Alonso then set off again but the pit crew had not secured one of his wheels, leaving the Renault driver on only three wheels with the fourth bouncing down the track. Alonso retired soon after citing water temperature problems… neglecting to mention the fact that he was driving a tricycle down pit lane.

Raikonnen and Webber both pitted on lap 19, nearlycrashing into each other, and the crews were flustered enough to almost direct them into a crash after pitting as well, after Webber’s Red Bull crew had problem with a fuel hose.

After a flawless pit stop by Hamilton, it was then Webber’s team mate who fell victim to hose problems on his stop, followed by suspension problems which quickly put an end to his race.

The rest of the race was a relatively sedate procession, giving Hamilton his first podium finish of 2009.

Hungary Grand Prix results in win for Lewis Hamilton is a post from: The Inquisitr