The F1 season is about to end. However, even before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix started, the Silly season saw a major moment. Christian Horner made an off-handed statement that Lewis Hamilton inquired for a seat with Red Bull. However, the seven-time champion from Mercedes has completely denied these allegations. A new name has emerged in the drama.
Horner is known for stirring some drama and playing a war of words using press conferences, and this time might not be any different. Horner’s remarks began a wildfire of questions about the seven-time world champion’s loyalty to the German team. They were, in fact, the partners for six of his seven championship victories. Now, adding to this drama, Dr Helmut Marko has thrown in his hat of opinions.
Helmut Marko Adds Fuel to Fire
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In the midst of the mudslinging, F1-Insider.com sought clarity from Dr. Helmut Marko. According to Marko, Horner had informed him in January about a text message from Hamilton’s associates, suggesting a serious interest in joining Red Bull. The condition – Hamilton would only make the move if provided with the same competitive equipment as Max Verstappen.
“I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from people around Hamilton. It seemed authorized by the driver, especially because there was talk of a condition that Hamilton set: he only wanted to drive for Red Bull if he got the same material as Max Verstappen. For me at least there was no doubt that the request from the Hamilton side was serious,” he stated.
However, Lewis Hamilton vehemently denied that any such message was made. He stood steadfast in the fact that neither he nor his team had approached the Red Bull boss. In fact, he further went on to state that it had been years since the British world champion spoke properly with Christian Horner. In an alternate universe, just imagine the absolute entertainment we’d have in a Verstappen-Hamilton driver pairing at Red Bull.
Dr Marko, however, doesn’t want anything to do with this alternate universe. According to him, this whole conversation about Hamilton to Red Bull is pointless.
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Hamilton and Verstappen Won’t Work Together
Marko dismissed the feasibility of such a scenario. He denied there is any possibility of the two world champions being on the same team. First, he stated that the Milton Keynes team is pretty happy with the current driver lineup. There was no way two alphas like Hamilton and Verstappen could be on the same team. Financial constraints further rendered the notion impractical.
“There were never any considerations about letting Hamilton drive alongside Verstappen…the most important point: Red Bull cannot afford the two most expensive Formula 1 drivers together. But I can understand that a driver like Hamilton wants to drive in a team that promises the greatest success.”
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WATCH THIS STORY | Watch: Nico Rosberg’s Embarrassing Moment Facing Off Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 Spanish GP
Mercedes already faced a similar scenario of two competing drivers going against each other when Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton went at it. Had the pair continued, who knows how many more collisions and off-track fights we would have seen.