Horner details contact with Hamilton’s dad but denies ‘serious discussion’ over Red Bull move
Christian Horner, the team manager of Red Bull, has elaborated on remarks he made regarding Lewis Hamilton that were made public in the lead-up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He says the driver’s father, Anthony, approached him, but that the conversations were never “serious.”
Prior to this weekend’s season finale, there was a report circulating that stated Horner had received a call from one of Hamilton’s advisors regarding a possible 2024 drive for Red Bull.
Apart from a brief text exchange between the two, Hamilton, who inked a new two-year contract with Mercedes in September, was quick to refute Horner’s accusations and stated that “no one from my team has reached out to him”.
Asked to clarify the situation in the wake of the headlines generated by his initial remarks and Hamilton’s denial, Horner offered a follow-up during Friday’s Team Principals’ press conference at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“The amount of traction this has gained is astounding,” Horner remarked. It’s a matter of who said what, who said, he said, she said. Over the course of a year, it is quite typical for drivers, drivers’ representatives, and drivers’ parents to have different conversations.
Lewis and I haven’t had any meaningful conversations because there has never been a seat available. I’ve known Anthony Hamilton for a very long time; he’s a kind man and a passionate father of race cars.
Questions will inevitably be raised throughout the paddock when drivers encounter difficult situations—let’s face it, Lewis hasn’t won a Grand Prix in the last two years. Engagement never took place.
“I don’t know who represents who or what, but with the same surname you would think they were reasonably close. It’s difficult to say, but other than pleasantries, there was no specific, ‘Can I drive for Red Bull next year?’, unless Anthony wanted to drive.
“As I say, that’s not unusual—you can imagine that we hear from a lot of drivers over the course of a year.”
Horner responded, “Not really,” when asked if he believed Mercedes would be shocked to learn that Hamilton’s father had communication with Red Bull. Despite not having won a Grand Prix since 2021, he is the all-time greatest driver in history. To figure that out, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist.
“I doubt that I was the only person to receive an inquiry. I have no idea what the dynamics are in any particular relationship; I’m not privy to that, but questions will surely come up.
“There’s not really much more to say,” he said. A lot has been made out of something fairly innocuous.”
