Lewis Hamilton ‘authorised’ Red Bull approach as F1 star ‘made Max Verstappen demand’
Lewis Hamilton has denied Christian Horner’s claim that the Brit approached Red Bull over a switch before signing his new Mercedes deal, but Horner and Helmut Marko are sticking to their story
Helmut Marko thinks the Formula 1 driver “authorised” contact with Lewis Hamilton’s team regarding a possible Red Bull switch.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Christian Horner revealed shocking information, claiming that Hamilton had inquired about a possible transfer to Red Bull. The seven-time world champion was rumored to have made contact before to signing his most recent Mercedes contract.
Hamilton refuted the assertion and charged Horner with inflaming the situation. But the Red Bull chief has stuck to his narrative and maintained it was Hamilton’s father Anthony who had been the one to make the contact on his son’s behalf.
Red Bull adviser Marko has now weighed in on the topic. Speaking to F1 Insider, the Austrian said he was sure that it was a genuine enquiry over whether or not there would be a Red Bull seat available in 2024
“I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from people around Hamilton,” he stated. “It appeared to have been approved by the driver, particularly considering that Hamilton had mentioned a requirement. If he was given the same training as Max Verstappen, that is all he wanted to do: drive for Red Bull. There was no question in my mind that the Hamilton side’s proposal was serious.”
Marko continued by saying that Red Bull could never realistically consider fielding Hamilton alongside Verstappen in the same vehicle. “There were never any considerations about letting Hamilton drive alongside Verstappen,” he stated.
“First off, Sergio Perez and the rest of our driver team put us in a strong position. And thirdly, the most important point – Red Bull cannot afford the two most expensive Formula 1 drivers together.
However, I can see why a driver like Hamilton would want to be a part of a squad that had the best chance of winning.” Even while it would be exciting for fans to watch the two greatest drivers in Formula One go head-to-head on the same team, Verstappen was not eager to entertain such hypotheticals.
Hamilton had stated, “I don’t think he wants me to be his team-mate,” regarding the Dutchman. Verstappen, however, yelled out, “That’s not happening. Therefore, if it’s not happening, there’s no use in making up stories. It doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t mind if [it] happened. Anyone at all. I really don’t want to put Lewis through this right now. Additionally, there are a ton of amazing drivers. It simply doesn’t work out that way sometimes.
“It doesn’t interest me at all. I didn’t even know about those stories when I was asked during the press conference. But I don’t care either. We don’t even need to talk about it, because it’s just never going to happen. What do I need to prove? I’ve got nothing to prove, I think.”
