Hamilton’s new car unveiled

MERCEDES have unveiled the car Sir Lewis Hamilton hopes will take him to a record-breaking eighth Formula One world championship.

The sport’s all-conquering team has carried over its anti-racism black paint job from last season, updated with a flick of silver to represent the constructors’ traditional colours.

Hamilton, 36, is this year bidding to move one title clear of Michael Schumacher in what could be the British driver’s final campaign in F1.

Hamilton, who last month signed only a one-year extension, will be partnered by Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for a fifth season.

Regarding his new deal, Hamilton said: “I am in the fortunate position where I have achieved most of the stuff that I wanted to achieve up to this point.

“So there is no real need to plan too far into the future.

“We are living in an unusual period of time, so I just wanted one year, then we can talk about if we do more, and keep adding it by one if we have to.

“In the past it was just about winning world championships.

“This year, it is all about pushing for diversity and really making sure that action is taken.

“That is at the core of the drive for me, but we exist to win and that is what we are working towards and it is also my goal to deliver that.”

Testing for the new season gets under way in Bahrain a week on Friday before Hamilton opens his bid for an unprecedented eighth championship in the Gulf Kingdom a fortnight later.

Lewis Hamilton