Button completes all-British line-up of champions

London: Jenson Button will partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season in an all-British line-up of champions, the Formula One team said on Wednesday.

The multi-year deal completes an astonishing year for 29-year-old Button, who did not know if he had a future in the sport last December when his then-employers Honda pulled out.

Button went on to win six of the first seven races of the season for Brawn GP, the team that emerged from the remains of Honda.

"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," Button said.

"So, although I won the world championship with Brawn GP, and I'll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

"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 One," he added.

"I've followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable finally to be a part of it."

Explosive pairing

The signing means Mercedes-powered McLaren will have two champion drivers for the first time since 1989 when France's Alain Prost and Brazilian Ayrton Senna formed an explosive pairing at the Woking-based team.

It will also be the first time a team has started the new season with the most recent two title-holders as well as the first pairing of British champions since Graham Hill joined Jim Clark at Lotus in 1968.