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'Start of a new chapter' for Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will drive a Mercedes for the first time on Monday afternoon © Sutton Images

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Lewis Hamilton has described the launch of the Mercedes W04 as "the start of a new chapter" in his career.

Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg unveiled the new car on the start/finish straight at Jerez after Rosberg had been driving the car for the morning during a filming day. Hamilton - who will drive the car for the afternoon - said he was honoured to be a Mercedes driver and admitted he had been motivated by the new challenge.

"It's a very special day for me to officially present our Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow to the world," Hamilton said. "There is no company with a longer history in Grand Prix racing than Mercedes-Benz and it is an honour for me to tread in the footsteps of legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher. It's the start of a new chapter for me, a new adventure, and when I walked through the doors in Brackley, I was so excited to get down to work."

Hamilton also said that he had been impressed by the desire shown by Mercedes as it developed the new car over the winter.

"I've been at the factory for a few days now, getting to know the guys, meeting my mechanics and engineers, learning myself into the team and I have never seen a group of people that is hungrier for success than this one. They have been flat out this winter trying to pack more performance into the new car and I can't wait to drive it and see where I can make a difference to help push the team forward with Nico.

"This is a new start for me with the team in Brackley but I have worked with Mercedes-Benz for a very long time now, and I learned one thing most of all: Mercedes-Benz doesn't know how to lose. We are playing a long game here but I know we will have success together and I'm excited to be a big part of making it happen."

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