Endless speculation surrounding the whereabouts of Lewis Hamilton in 2013 has finally been resolved today as the Mercedes F1 team confirmed the signing of Hamilton for next season.

The team were able to secure Hamilton's services as part of a a three-year agreement after Mercedes-Benz resolved their differences with Formula One Management, signing a commercial agreement that commits the car company to the sport for the long term.

Joint ambition

Hamilton's move will see him partner current Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, the pair have previously been team mates in a junior motor sport series. Michael Schumacher moves aside to make way for the incoming Hamilton, after a lacklustre return to competitive F1 racing.

For his part, Lewis is excited to take on a fresh challenge:

Mercedes-Benz has such an incredible heritage in motorsport, along with a passion for winning. Together, we can grow and rise to this new challenge. I believe that I can help steer the Silver Arrows to the top and achieve our joint ambitions of winning the world championships.

- Lewis Hamilton

Team Principal Ross Brawn added, "The arrival of a driver of Lewis' calibre is a testament to the standing of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One. I believe that the combination of Lewis and Nico will be the most dynamic and exciting pairing on the grid next year, and I am looking forward to what we can achieve together."

The perfect blend

The move brings to a close Hamilton's association with the McLaren team that saw him explode onto the Formula One scene back in 2007. For their part, McLaren moved swiftly to confirm Sauber superstar Sergio Pérez in the now vacant second seat for 2013. The multi-year deal will see Pérez start next season alongside Jenson Button, a lineup the team describe as the perfect blend of youth and experience.

Pérez is understandably looking forward to moving up to the top team: "I'm under no illusion that it is indeed a very big step – as it would be for any driver – but I'm ready for it.

"So, while I'm still fully focused on doing my best for Sauber for the remainder of this season, I'm already massively looking forward to working with everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes".

Jenson Button meanwhile welcomed his future teammate to the fold via Twitter. As yet, there has been no word from Sauber as to who might be in line to fill their now vacant seat.

The current combination of McLaren and Hamilton are still in with an outside chance of taking the drivers championship, while Schumacher now has to decide whether he has another year of competitive racing in him.

The question now is, has Hamilton made the right decision?