Hamilton joins Mercedes - Official

The Mercedes AMG Formula One team have announced that British driver Lewis Hamilton will join them in 2013 on a three-year-contract.

The 2008 Formula One World Champion will leave McLaren, a team which he has been associated with since the age of 13, where he has raced to-date 103 times, winning 20 times, standing on the podium 48 times and winning the world championship in only his second season.

Hamilton still stands an outside chance of winning the F1 title in 2012, but the Brit has stated that a new challenge alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes is what he needs at this point of his career.

“It is now time for me to take on a fresh challenge and I am very excited to begin a new chapter racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team,” said Hamilton to formula1.com.

“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. I believe that I can help steer the Silver Arrows to the top and achieve our joint ambitions of winning the world championships.”

Mercedes have won just one race since they returned to the sport taking over the former Brawn GP team, but have shown big ambitions in the sport and many pundits have predicted that they will form a strong set-up in 2014 following the new engine regulations.

It's believed that Ross Brawn has played a major part in securing Hamilton for Mercedes. The team principal was behind the Ferrari team that dominated Formula One with Michael Schumacher and Hamilton will be hoping that Brawn can replicate that success with Mercedes with Hamilton spearheading the attack.