Lewis Hamilton set to announce Mercedes switch
Lewis Hamilton is expected to confirm later on Friday that he will be moving to Mercedes next year.
After weeks of speculation about his future, Hamilton's decision to turn his back on the McLaren team that brought him into Formula 1 is set to finally be made official.
Although neither team is willing to comment on the news, or timing of any press statement, it is understood that his switch will become official before the end of the day.
Hamilton's move to Mercedes comes after intense discussions between his management team, XIX Entertainment and McLaren - with central issues believed to have related to both salary and personal sponsorship rights.
Earlier this week it emerged that McLaren had matched the reported £11 million per year basic wage offer made to Hamilton, although it is not clear if Mercedes subsequently upped its deal.
Hamilton's move to Mercedes, where he will race alongside Nico Rosberg, has cast doubts over the future of Michael Schumacher – who now looks set to face the decision of retiring or moving to another team like Sauber.
Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm was seen in lengthy talks with Sauber at last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, and there will be a vacancy with Sergio Perez set to become Hamilton's replacement at McLaren.
The Mexican, who has been labelled as not experienced enough for Ferrari, has impressed strongly at times this season and McLaren is likely to feel that it can harness his obvious talent.