MONZA: Seven times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a new contract with Mercedes and will continue to partner compatriot George Russell in 2024 and 2025, the team said on Thursday. No financial details were given, although media reports have suggested the deal could be worth 50 million pounds a year ($63.41 million) for Hamilton. The 38-year-old Briton last won a race in 2021, with Red Bull and double world champion Max Verstappen now dominant after ending Mercedes’s record run of eight successive constructors’ world titles. Hamilton, the sport’s most successful driver, joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013 and has taken six titles and 82 of his 103 career victories with the team. The announcement came as no surprise, with both sides keen to continue, although the contract negotiations dragged on longer than expected.