Lewis Hamilton has ended speculation over his Formula One future after signing a new two-year contract with Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion, bidding for a record eighth crown in 2021, is now tied to the German team through the 2023 season, covering the first two campaigns of new regulations which come into force next year.
The 36-year-old has won six of his previous seven drivers' titles with Mercedes, who he joined from McLaren in 2012.
Hamilton only signed a one-year deal for 2021 in February and both he and team boss Toto Wolff had stressed agreeing an earlier deal this time around was a priority.
The Briton is embroiled in a thrilling title scrap with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who has opened up an 18-point lead in the championship going into the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
It is still unclear who Hamilton's team-mate will be for 2022 and beyond.
Valtteri Bottas is languishing fifth in the championship, while George Russell – now with Williams – impressed when he stood in during Hamilton's coronavirus absence at last season's Sakhir Grand Prix.
Russell reacted to the news by calling it "great for Mercedes and F1".
After his new deal was confirmed, Stats Perform looked at the data to summarise Hamilton's incredible F1 impact.
LEVEL WITH SCHUMACHER
Michael Schumacher won his seventh and final championship in 2004, a streak of five in a row at Ferrari that saw him surpass Juan Manuel Fangio's previous overall record of five career titles.
All but one of Hamilton's triumphs have come with Mercedes, following a dramatic initial 2008 success at McLaren.
That means he has now gone past Schumacher as the driver to have won the most F1 titles with the same team. The German's back-to-back 1994 and 1995 successes came at Benetton.
The only championship not claimed by Hamilton during his current run, 2016, was picked up by his then Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Hamilton has won four in a row, meaning matching another Schumacher best for successive crowns while also claiming the outright record of eight are his targets this season.
WINNING RECORD
In 2020 Hamilton equalled his best single-season return of 11 wins, which he also recorded in each of 2014, 2018 and 2019.
Hamilton is an all-time F1 leader in terms of career race wins (98), poles (100), podiums (171) and points (3,916), having overtaken Schumacher to take top spot in all but the latter category.
Of those race victories, 77 have come with Mercedes, the most any driver has achieved with a single team.
He has led the most races (168) and laps (5,221) in F1 history, while he had finished a record 48 consecutive grands prix in the points until COVID-19 forced him to miss the penultimate race of 2020.
However, as he signs his deal at a time when rival Verstappen is thriving, the Briton is only one GP away from equalling his worst run (five races) without winning in a single season since 2014.
He also had two five-race runs without a win in 2016, the year Rosberg triumphed and the only campaign Hamilton did not win the title in the hybrid era.
Interestingly, Hamilton did set a record in that season as runner-up. He won 10 races and racked up 380 points, both the most ever by a driver who did not go on to win the world title.
DOMINANCE SPANNING DECADES
When he won his first championship in 2008, Hamilton was F1's youngest world title winner at 23 years, nine months and 26 days old. Sebastian Vettel later surpassed that feat in 2010 at 23, four months and 11 days.
Title number seven arrived with Hamilton 35, 10 months and eight days old.
The 12 seasons between his first and most recent titles is the longest span in F1 history, with Schumacher (1994-2004) and Niki Lauda (1975-1984) next on the list.
Lauda edged out Alain Prost in 1984 by half a point in the last of his wins, the only margin narrower than the single point Hamilton beat Felipe Massa by in 2008.
He does not deal in such slender differences nowadays. The 124-point advantage he had over Valtteri Bottas last year stands as Hamilton's biggest personal margin over the driver in second place.
Vettel still holds the most processional title win, going back to 2013 when his Red Bull was 155 points better off than runner-up Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.
FAVOURITE RACES
Hamilton has won eight times at the Hungarian Grand Prix, sharing the record for most wins at a single circuit with Schumacher, who triumphed eight times in France.
With seven wins at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton holds the F1 record for most wins at a home race.
Hamilton has also triumphed seven times in Canada, with six wins apiece in China and the United States, which are both among his favourite tracks.
His career victories have come at an astonishing 29 different circuits and 28 different grands prix, highlighting his longevity, and a win in Austria on Sunday would kickstart his pursuit of further records.
Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea: Palmer penalty double seals comeback for title-chasing Blues
Cole Palmer's penalty double completed a remarkable 4-3 victory over Tottenham as Chelsea cut the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.
Chelsea thumped nine-man Spurs 4-1 in the corresponding fixture last term but required an almighty comeback as Marc Cucurella's errors gifted the hosts an early 2-0 lead on Sunday.
Dejan Kulusevski's pinpoint finish followed Dominic Solanke's well-taken opener at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though Jadon Sancho reduced the arrears with a delightful finish with just 17 minutes on the clock.
Palmer levelled just past the hour with his first penalty after Yves Bissouma needlessly felled the marauding Moises Caicedo, who had earlier survived a VAR check for a lunging tackle on Pape Sarr in the first half.
The Chelsea talisman won another spot-kick after Sarr's mindless push, with Palmer coolly drinking beyond Fraser Forster, after Enzo Fernandez had blasted the Blues ahead with 17 minutes remaining.
Son Heung-min’s stoppage-time strike appeared to tee up a nervy ending for Chelsea, though, as the Spurs winger slotted past Robert Sanchez from substitute James Maddison's cutback pass.
However, Enzo Maresca's side held firm to move two points clear of Arsenal in second and make ground on Liverpool, while Spurs sit 11th after a second defeat in the space of three days.
Data Debrief: Chelsea powered by ice-cold Palmer
It seems there is no doubt when Palmer steps up from 12 yards out he will score, as the Chelsea man converted his 11th and 12th penalties in the Premier League on Sunday.
The former Manchester City man has a perfect record from his 12 penalty attempts, the most any player has taken in the competition without ever missing, surpassing Yaya Toure (11).
Palmer has also been directly involved in 38 Premier League goals in 2024 (25 goals, 13 assists), the outright most in a calendar year by a Chelsea player in the competition.
He reached 50 goal involvements (33 goals, 17 assists) in 48 Premier League games for Chelsea here; only Erling Haaland for Man City (39), Andy Cole for Newcastle United (43), and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool (46) have ever reached that total in fewer appearances for a club in England's top competition.
Palmer's heroics saw Tottenham lose an 11th Premier League game after having been two or more goals ahead – at least four more such defeats than any other side in Premier League history.
Proteas five wickets away from Sri Lanka series whitewash
South Africa closed in on a series whitewash of Sri Lanka on day four of the second Test in Gqeberha.
The Proteas require five wickets to complete a 2-0 win over the tourists, who need 143 runs to level the series at St George's Oval.
South Africa resumed at 191-3 on Sunday, Temba Bavuma (66) and Tristan Stubbs (47) led their charge as they continued at the crease.
David Bedingham added 35 as the hosts took their second-innings total to 317, with only Prabath Jayasuriya's five-wicket haul stopping them in their tracks.
That left Sri Lanka a target of 348, but South Africa took full advantage of the new balls, with Dimuth Karunaratne (1), Pathum Nissanka (18) and Dinesh Chandimal (29) all dismissed.
Angelo Matthews (32) and Kamindu Mendis (35) also went, though an unbroken 83-run stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis steadied the ship to give Sri Lanka hope of completing an almighty turnaround.
Data Debrief: Jayasuriya into double figures in just 18th Test
Bavuma led by example for South Africa once more, with his fourth successive contribution of 50 or more.
Jayasuriya's five-wicket haul to halt the Proteas' progress was his 10th in just 18 Tests, and his first outside Sri Lanka.
The tourists' hopes are not over yet, but they must create history to level the contest. Indeed, no team has previously completed a chase of more than 271 runs at St George's Oval.
Leicester City 2-2 Brighton: Late Foxes fightback thwarts Seagulls
Leicester City scored twice in the closing stages to come back from 2-0 down and draw 2-2 with Brighton in the Premier League.
The Seagulls appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory, with a stunning first-half strike from Tariq Lamptey having been followed up by Yankuba Minteh's effort 11 minutes from time.
Brighton had controlled matters from the off, and Minteh's goal will have been the least Fabian Hurzeler felt his side deserved.
Yet, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy dragged Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes back into the contest as he poked in from close range to set up a grandstand finish.
And Vardy was involved in the 91st-minute equaliser, teeing up Bobby De Cordova-Reid to tap in and claim a draw in dramatic fashion.
Leicester are now 16th, with Brighton in seventh, having missed the chance to apply more pressure to their fellow European contenders.
Data Debrief: Seagulls' King Power Stadium winless streak continues
Brighton have now failed to win two of the last three Premier League games in which they have led by two or more goals, as many as in their previous 40.
The Seagulls are still seeking their first Premier League victory away at Leicester, the joint-most they have faced a side on the road without registering a single win (also seven against Manchester City).
Vardy inspired Leicester's turnaround. Aged 37 years and 332 days, the forward is the second-oldest player in Premier League history to both score and assist a goal in a single match, after Manchester United's Ryan Giggs against Fulham in December 2011 (38 years, 22 days).
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