Hamilton Signs Until 2012
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes confirm Hamilton for another 5 years.
Jan 18, 2008
2012 might be the year that British sport is looking towards for the chance to shine at the London Olympics, but it is now also the year that Lewis Hamilton will next have to worry about where his income might be coming from.
The 23-year-old rookie sensation of 2007 has today inked a new contract with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes that will see him stay with the team for another five years.
Having already spent the past ten years with the team, Hamilton’s new deal will take him to a total of fifteen years (and perhaps beyond) with the team that has made him a global superstar. The new deal is in recognition of Hamilton’s performance during his first season in Formula One and his new status as a qualified front running F1 driver.
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s CEO, said that the negotiations with Lewis Hamilton had not been a long drawn out affair and was quick to point out that the team had spent most of its time getting the MP4-23 ready for battle rather than getting embroiled in salary discussions.
It is understood, however, that the young driver’s new contract includes a substantial increase in his wage packet and team boss Ron Dennis was quick to point out that Hamilton thoroughly deserved his lucrative new contract with the team.
Whilst the intricate details of the agreement remain secret, it is known that none of the parties had been under any pressure to sign at this time as the existing contract between Hamilton and the team was still very much in force. The new contract appears to have been brought into force simply to enhance Lewis’s status within the organisation and to prove that he is not a flash in the pan.
Dennis told reporters that Lewis had exceeded “all expectations for a rookie in Formula 1, even those of us in the team who have known him for over a decade.” He went on to point out that Hamilton had broken every record for a rookie during the 2007 campaign. “Given Lewis’s performance 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.”
Indeed, Lewis Hamilton – who finished second in last year’s championship to Kimi Räikkönen, missing out on the top prize by just one point – was praised last year not only for his on track performances, but for his off track etiquette too. He quickly established himself as media friendly and very diplomatic in response to many awkward questions, especially during the trials concerning documents stolen from Ferrari and used by McLaren in the development of last year’s car.
Escorted to every race by his father, and manager, Anthony, Lewis rarely shunned the cameras or the journalists and was happy to be seen mixing with the fans as well as the stars.
Hamilton released a statement saying that it was fantastic that McLaren Mercedes had signed him until 2012. “I feel I could easily drive for this team for the whole of my career.”
If McLaren continue to produce cars as quick as last year’s MP4-22, and if Lewis Hamilton continues to be able to put in the performances he was last year Sunday after Sunday, that is surely a stark warning to all his competitors that, after breaking all the records for a rookie, he is setting his sights on Schumacher’s statistics.
