Hamilton takes Schumacher's place at Mercedes

FORMULA One's 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton will leave McLaren and replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes next season.

FORMULA One's 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton will leave McLaren and replace seven-time champion Michael Schumacher at Mercedes next season.

Hamilton will be replaced by Sauber's Mexican driver, Sergio Perez.

Mercedes later confirmed it had hired the Briton on a three-year deal, replacing German veteran Schumacher, whose career may be over.

"Lewis will replace Michael Schumacher, who over the past three years has made a significant contribution" to the constructor, the team said in a statement.

McLaren was first off the mark to confirm what media reports had been stating for several weeks.

"It's entirely appropriate that I should take this opportunity to pass on our thanks to Lewis," team principal Martin Whitmarsh said.

"He wrote a huge chapter of his life and career with us, and was, and always will be, a fine member of an exclusive club: the McLaren world champions' club."

Hamilton had been under contract to McLaren since he was 13 years old and won the world drivers championship in 2008.

The Briton is fourth in the overall standings, 52 points behind leader Fernando Alonso heading into the last six races after suffering a gearbox failure during the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton has won three races this season, in Canada, Hungary and Italy, and finished on the podium in the opening three races in Australia, Malaysia and China.

A possible move by Schumacher to another team "is not an issue today", his manager Sabine Kehm said.

Schumacher returned to Formula One in 2010 after a three-year absence, but has registered only a single podium place with Mercedes since then.