Formula 1 2013 Drivers Line-up Changes – Perez replaces Hamilton that signed for Mercedes

With still 6 races to go for the 2012 season to be completed and yet with the World Championship within its reach (currently 4 at a 52 point distance from the leader), Mclaren’s Driver Lewis Hamilton was today announced by Mercedes has signing a 3 three-year contract starting already in 2013.

Hamilton is the best Formula 1 rookie ever and was the first black driver to take part of F1 official races. He almost got the championship title in its debut in 2007, just finishing 1 point behind Kimi Raikkonen (current Lotus-Renault driver occupying 3rd place in the 2012 classification), and won 4 races, marked 6 pole positions  and a a total of 12 podium finishes in 17 races!. Lewis Hamilton managed to get the title in the following year. Although  he wasn’t able to repeat it since then,  Hamilton registered afterwards an impressive mark of 11 races wins, as well as 11 pole positions, and 26 podium finishes.

In 2013 he will pair with the German and very competitive pilot Nico Rosberg, son of the famous Finish Formula 1 pilot Keke Rosberg who won the World Championship in 1983 achieving only 1 race win (this still is the lowest record for a World Champion), that stood renowned by an odd combination of aggressive (but fair) driving and regularity since he only abandoned 4 races in that year (don’t forget those were the times of Turbo Engines) and ended up always inside points in other races.

Hamilton will be replaced at Mclaren in 2013 by the young 22 year-old Mexican and revelation driver of 2012, Sergio Perez. Perez is currently running for Sauber-Mercedes and occupies the 9th place in the championship with 66 points, having recently recorded an amazing 2nd place finishing at Monza (he started 12th on the grid), after passing both Ferrari drivers, Massa and Alonso (this last manoeuvre included an amazing passing over Mark Webber as well), in the last laps, benefiting from his normal tactics of taking good care of tyres and thus making less pit stops than his opponents.

With these changes, the 2013 driver’s line-up is starting to heat and promise, again, a fantastic season. By the way, these moves inside teams leave, for now, Michael Schumacher without a driving seat for next year.