After a highly-anticipated wait, the biggest news story we’ve all been waiting for this silly season has finally arrived. Lewis Hamilton has finally signed on the dotted line with the Silver Arrows and will be at Brackley till at least 2025. After months of speculation, and ever the creeping fear that Hamilton may ditch Mercedes, the iconic duo has finally put the fans’ minds to rest.

But the road of today hasn’t been easy for either of the two parties. For Mercedes, they’ve been struggling to find that glorious pace of old. And Hamilton has been stuck in the midfield battling for points rather than his birthright: Championships. That being said, while the contract negotiations weren’t smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination, with today’s announcement, Lewis Hamilton and Co. have delivered a satisfying putdown to all their critics.

Lewis Hamilton & Co. silence Helmut Marko

It’s always easy to pick on someone when they’re down. During the 2022 Emilia-Romagna GP, Lewis Hamilton was suffering. The troubled W13 betrayed the Brit in such humongous proportions that Max Verstappen even lapped the Brit at one point in time. Safe to say, Helmut Marko didn’t waste a breath to stick it to the 7x champion.

After the race, Marko was quoted as saying, “I mean, he was lapped by us, so maybe he should have stopped last year,” by the Daily Mail. Exactly 16 months on from that jibe, the Brit and his team have issued a strong statement of intent towards all the doubters, including Marko, as they announced Hamilton’s extension.

They posted an emotional video homage to their talisman on Instagram. The video chronicled the 38-year-old’s unrivaled Mercedes career. They captioned it, “Lewis is here to stay.” But it was more than just an announcement compilation. It was a reminder to Marko and Co. of what Hamilton can do, and what he intends to repeat now that he’s coming for them in anger.

But that wasn’t it. The Brit decided to go further and deliver a chilling final blow to the Bulls.

Read More: Minutes After Making $127,000,000 Announcement, Lewis Hamilton & Co. Echoes Simone Biles’ 3 Word Mantra to Embrace New Beginnings

Hamilton shoots prophetic warning Red Bull’s way

Seeing the current situation that Hamilton and Mercedes find themselves in, it’s easy to write them off. However, what they achieved together in this sport was not a fluke. And while they may have lost their way since 2022, this renewal has seemingly turned that fire in their belly up to the next level.

Hamilton chose to shoot a pointed warning at Red Bull, who are the obvious targets for the 7x champ. He said, “We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again.”

Will 2024 be the year when Lewis Hamilton finally topples Max Verstappen to claim his record-breaking eight F1 title?

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