Lewis Hamilton ‘authorised’ Red Bull approach as F1 star ‘made Max Verstappen demand’
Lewis Hamilton has denied Christian Horner’s claims that he was approached about a move to Red Bull before the Briton signed a new contract with Mercedes, but Horner and Helmut Marko have stuck to their story.
Helmut Marco Lewis believes contact from Hamilton’s camp about a possible move to Red Bull has been “approved” by the Formula 1 star.
Christian Horner revealed he inquired about Hamilton’s move to Red Bull ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. The alleged link took place before the seven-time world champion signed his latest contract with Mercedes.
Hamilton denied the claims and accused Horner of involvement. But the Red Bull boss defended his story and said Hamilton’s father Anthony had been contacted on his son’s behalf.
Red Bull consultant Marco has now addressed this topic. Speaking to F1 Insider, the Austrian said he believes the real question is whether a seat at Red Bull will be available in 2024.
“All I can say is Christian Horner told me in January about the text messages he got from people in Hamilton,” he said. “It looked like the driver gave his permission, especially because of the conditions imposed by Hamilton. He only wanted to drive for Red Bull if he was given the same material as Max Verstappen. In any case, I had no doubt that Hamilton’s request was serious.
Marco said Red Bull could never consider putting Hamilton in the same car as Verstappen. “What Hamilton did with Verstappen never happened,” he added. “Firstly, we are in a good position with the driver team, including Sergio Perez. Secondly, these two Alfas are not working as a team. Third, and the most important problem: Red Bull cannot afford to pay two of the most expensive F1 drivers together.
“But I can understand why a driver like Hamilton would want to be with a team that promises great success.” Watching the biggest stars on the Formula 1 grid battle it out in the same team is a tantalizing prospect for fans, but Verstappen doesn’t want to buy into that hypothesis. “I don’t think he wants me in the team,” Hamilton said of the Dutchman. But Verstappen said: “That’s not going to happen. So there is no need to make up a story otherwise. It wouldn’t matter if it was anyway. All. I don’t want to talk specifically about Lewis now. There are a lot of great drivers out there. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way. “I don’t care at all. When asked about such incidents at the press conference, I did not know about them. But I don’t care. No need to talk about it because it will never happen. What do I have to prove? “I feel like I have nothing to prove.”
