Lewis Hamilton fumes at Christian Horner for “stirring things” with Red Bull F1 claim
Lewis Hamilton fumes at Christian Horner for “stirring things” with Red Bull F1 claim
Lewis Hamilton reportedly held talks with competitors Red Bull and Ferrari before agreeing to a new two-year contract with Mercedes in August, which is reportedly worth £50 million annually.
British driver and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has blasted Christian Horner for “stirring things” after the Red Bull CEO said Hamilton wanted to race with Max Verstappen.
In August, Hamilton agreed to a new two-year deal with Mercedes, which is reportedly worth £50 million annually, to continue competing in Formula One after turning forty. In the midst of a difficult season for the Silver Arrows, when Verstappen easily won a third consecutive world championship in a powerful Red Bull vehicle, he made the decision to commit to his current employers.
For the majority of the season, there was conjecture regarding Hamilton’s future, and Red Bull team chief Horner has now stated that they got a proposal from his agents prior to him deciding to join Mercedes. The Britishman was in communication with Ferrari chairman John Elkann, according to the Red Bull CEO.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton, however, has criticized Horner for his public statements and denied rumors that he intended to leave Mercedes. “I don’t really get where that story has come from,” he said to Sky Sports. Since no one from my team has, as far as I know, spoken to him, I have no idea what he is talking about. It’s been years since I’ve truly spoken to him.
“I think he is just stirring things, he loves that kind of stuff. I would be more than happy to race against Max in an equal car but for me, moving from a car that is not so great to a winning car is not a dream for me. That is why I stayed with Mercedes. He did reach out to me earlier in the year about meeting up, but that’s it. I congratulated him on an amazing year and said I hoped I would be fighting with Red Bull in the coming years. That was it; there was no private conversation.
Red Bull has done an amazing job and is an amazing team and any driver would love to drive for such a great group of people.” Hamilton’s comments are a strong-worded response to Horner’s surprising claim in which he opened up on contract talks this season. “We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining,” Horner told the Daily Mail.
“They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest. He met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks. But I can’t see Max and Lewis working out together. The dynamic wouldn’t be right. We are 100 per cent happy with what we have.”
This weekend marks the end of the 2023 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen controversially defeated Hamilton to win the drivers’ championship in the season’s final race in 2021. Hamilton has not won a race in the past two seasons and will finish third in the standings this year, while the Dutchman is vying for his 19th victory of an unprecedented campaign. “We want to get back to the top, and back to fighting for world championships. We are in this together,” Hamilton stated upon the announcement of his new contract in August.
