At long, long last... Lewis Hamilton has signed a new contract with Mercedes.

In what has been the talk of the town for the past few months, the Brit has finally put pen to paper, ending all speculation about his future.

George Russell taking his seat, a Max Verstappen clause being included, a disagreement over add-ons and bonuses. Those were dominating the Formula 1 headlines since the turn of the year, but they can all stop now as Hamilton has confirmed he is staying put.

In truth, it would have been a huge shock had Mercedes and Hamilton not reached an agreement. The 36-year-old has just tied Michael Schumacher's record for world titles (seven) and has an unbelievable chance of eclipsing the German this year.

Mercedes, without doubt, have the fastest car, and Hamilton right now is, without doubt, the best driver on the circuit. An eighth Drivers' Championship is surely just a matter of when, rather than if.

Statements from Mercedes

When discussing the new deal, Hamilton said, as per the official Mercedes website: “I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates.

"Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.

“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue.

"I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

The team principal Toto Wolff added: “We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process.

"Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport.

"Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”