Jenson Button will drive a McLaren Formula One car next season.

McLaren have officially announced the signing of reigning Formula One world champion Jenson Button on a “multi-year deal” that will see the Briton paired with Lewis Hamilton from the start of the 2010 season, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Button will line-up alongside Hamilton after parting company with reigning constructors champions Brawn GP, who were the subject of a takeover by Mercedes-Benz earlier this week.

The deal marks the first time in Formula One history that a team has started the new season with a line-up featuring the most recent two successive world champions, and is the first pairing of two British world champions since Graham Hill partnered Jim Clark at Lotus in 1968.

Button, who has reportedly agreed a three-year deal worth £6 million a season, moves to the Woking-based team after a hugely successful campaign with Brawn which delivered six grand prix wins and his maiden world title.

According to McLaren’s press release, Button said that it’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long. “But life is all about challenges – and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself,” he added “So, although I won the World Championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.”

Button said that McLaren are one of the greats of world sport, and their “achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula 1 – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and of course my new team-mate Lewis Hamilton. I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.”

“Also, I think it’s fantastic that we’ll be forming an all-British line-up,” Button added. “I know that we both fly the flag with pride, and I sincerely hope we can make the whole of the United Kingdom, as well as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes fans across the world, proud.”

Button’s team mate Lewis Hamilton said that it’s fantastic news that Jenson has decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. “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 – but I want to send my best wishes for the future to my 2008-09 team-mate and now good friend Heikki Kovalainen, who is one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met.”

“I already know Jenson, and we get on very well together,” Hamilton added. “We both really want our team to succeed. Although we’ll be pushing each other hard, I’m sure we’ll very quickly establish a great working relationship. He’s an exceptional driver: very controlled and very smooth, and he has a real depth of knowledge and experience.”

Jenson Button (GBR)
Date of birth: 19 January 1980 (29)
World championships: 1 (2009)
Wins: 7
Pole positions: 7
Points: 327
GP starts: 170

Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
Date of birth: 7 January 1985 (24)
World championships: 1 (2008)
Wins: 11
Pole positions: 17
Points: 256
GP starts: 52

Jenson Button will be driving car number 1 next season, and Hamilton car number 2.

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