VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES EXTENDS LEWIS HAMILTON’S
CONTRACT
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has today extended Lewis Hamilton’s
contract with the team for a further five years. The new agreement,
which starts for 2008, will run up to and including the 2012
season.
RON DENNIS, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, McLAREN GROUP
"We are pleased to announce that we have extended our
contract with Lewis, which will now run for a further five
years until 2012. Following our initial Formula 1 agreement
with Lewis, which we announced in November 2006, he went on
to exceed all expectations for a rookie in Formula 1, even
those of us in the team who have known him for over a decade.
Given Lewis’s performances over the course of the 2007
season, it is clear that improved financial terms were fully
deserved and this formed part of the friendly negotiations
with Lewis’s manager Anthony Hamilton. Today’s
announcement will take the length of our relationship with
Lewis to a total of 15 years, which we believe is among the
longest running associations between a sportsman and a team
in the history of sport, particularly motorsport. This is
a great achievement for everyone involved, including Anthony.
Lewis is an exceptional human being, on both a personal and
professional level, and will continue to be a credit to this
team. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is looking forward to the
new season, and we all expect that, with Heikki coming on
board to partner Lewis, we will have a very competitive year."
LEWIS HAMILTON
"It’s fantastic for me that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
has extended my contract until 2012. Whilst last year was
my first year with the team in Formula 1, I have been connected
to McLaren and Mercedes-Benz since 1998 and feel that I could
easily drive for this team for the whole of my Formula 1 career.
I am with the right team to compete for race wins and both
the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships
in the future. We will have a lot of challenges ahead, but
I am 100% positive I am with the people to take them on. The
first of those challenges is the 2008 season. I am enjoying
working closely with Heikki, Pedro, Gary and the team as we
push hard with the development of the MP4-23. We have 57 days
to go until the lights go out on the grid at Albert Park and
we are motivated to make the most of this time and arrive
in Melbourne with a competitive car."
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA 1, VODAFONE McLAREN
MERCEDES
"Since the end of the 2007 season, during which Lewis
broke every rookie record standing, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
team has been focused on getting our 2008 challenger on track.
That was successfully achieved on Wednesday 9th January and
led to an appropriate time for the team to hold discussions
with Lewis’s manager, Anthony. This was certainly not
a discussion that was under any particular timeframe as our
previous contract with Lewis was ongoing. Since Heikki joined
the team in December, it has become more apparent how well
he and Lewis will work together to become a competitive force
for the team. We feel confident we have the prospect of another
exciting season ahead."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
"Lewis proved his exceptional skills in his rookie season
last year by finishing as runner-up one point behind the World
Champion with four victories and six pole positions in 17
races. It is well known that McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Lewis
have worked together already for 10 years. He was still a
boy when he started in the MBM karting team. Lewis’s
performance and successes last year and the way he represents
the team and our company Mercedes-Benz in the public are first
class. His father Anthony and Lewis’s family play an
important part in his development. Together we have now created
a long term base for a successful collaboration in Formula
One and everybody inside the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team
will work very hard and concentrated to achieve our goals."
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