November 23, (THEWILL) – Lewis Hamilton has rejected claims made by Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, that the seven-time F1 world champion approached him over a potential drive with the team. Horner had revealed that Hamilton’s representatives had “reached out” to Red Bull “earlier in the year” to inquire about joining the team.
However, Hamilton strongly denied this at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, stating that “nobody from my management” had spoken to Horner. He did admit to receiving a message from Horner himself “months later”, but said he only saw it recently after finding his old phone. Hamilton went on to accuse Horner of “stirring things” and suggested the Red Bull boss made the comments because he was “a little bit lonely”.
Horner claimed Hamilton held talks with Ferrari Chairman, John Elkann, about a move to the Italian team. “I think there were serious talks,” Horner claimed, pinpointing the Monaco Grand Prix in May as when conversations took place. Hamilton had denied Ferrari rumours earlier this year and said his management was handling contract negotiations.
When asked if he would welcome Hamilton as a teammate, current double-world champion Max Verstappen saw little value in engaging with Horner’s speculation. “There’s no point in making up stories ‘if, if’. It’s not happening,” said the Dutchman, adding, “I wouldn’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
While Red Bull have dominated in 2022, Mercedes find themselves fighting Ferrari to finish second in the constructors’ championship after 8 consecutive titles from 2014-2021. Hamilton has not won a race this season as the team struggles with porpoising issues. However, he reiterated his commitment to Mercedes, saying he sees himself there “until my last days”.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
