Jenson Button joins Lewis Hamilton at McLaren

Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has left Brawn GP and signed for the McLaren racing team, where he will race alongside Lewis Hamilton, his compatriot and predecessor as world champion. The news had been widely anticipated since Brawn was bought and rebranded by Mercedes on Monday, and unites two of the most exciting drivers in the sport.

McLaren announced the news this morning, saying: "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is delighted to announce the signing of the reigning world champion Jenson Button to a multi-year deal. He will be partnered by the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be embarking on his fourth consecutive season as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver."

Button paid tribute to his Brawn team, saying that it had been a "difficult” to make the decision to leave them. "I want to say that the 2009 season will always have a special place in my memory," the 29-year-old said.

However, he said he had always wanted to set himself fresh challenges. "That's why I've decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. You can't help but be affected by this team's phenomenal history. McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements and list of past champions read like a Who's Who of Formula 1."

He reserved special praise for his new teammate, saying: "Lewis [is] a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of every Formula 1 driver. I'm sure there's plenty that we can learn from each other, and I'm really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push the team forward."

Hamilton also claimed to be happy with the development, the first time two British world champions have driven together since Graham Hill joined Jim Clark at Lotus in 1968, saying: "It's fantastic news that Jenson has decided to join McLaren - and I'm looking forward to working with him and our engineers to make sure we kick off the 2010 season with a car that's competitive enough to win the world championship."

Button's drive at Mercedes GP is likely to be taken by Nick Heidfeld, whose fellow German Nico Rosberg was appointed to the team earlier this month. ·