McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has agreed a deal to sign for Mercedes at the end of the season.

Hamilton was out of contract in November and it now appears that he has accepted Mercedes's offer to become their number one driver next season.

The 27-year-old joined McLaren at the age of 13 and he went on to become world champion in 2008 in just his second season as a Formula 1 driver.

However, despite proving their speed in a number of races this season, reliability problems have cost Hamilton the opportunity to fight for the F1 title, which was further highlighted by his gearbox problem when leading Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix.

Sauber driver Sergio Perez is expected to replace Hamilton at McLaren.