Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner recently dropped a bombshell on the F1 community. He claimed that discussions had taken place earlier this year between Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull. According to Horner, the talks were primarily about the possibility of the seven-time World Champion joining forces with his arch-rival Max Verstappen. Could this have been a game-changing partnership? Or is it merely the latest chapter in the strategic mind game played by Horner?

Hamilton signed a contract extension with Mercedes in August. He has committed to the Silver Arrows for at least the next two seasons. Despite that fact, Horner disclosed that Lewis Hamilton’s representatives initiated talks with Red Bull earlier this year. According to Horner, the talks were not a one-off occurrence either. He suggested that there have been several discussions about the possibility of Hamilton donning the Red Bull colors.

Lewis Hamilton calls out Christian Horner for stirring things unnecessarily

Not long after Horner made the statement, Lewis Hamilton spoke to Sky Sports to debunk the claim. Both multiple world champions came together saying that they have no issues whatsoever going toe to toe with each other anytime soon.

In an interview with Sky Sports at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 38-year-old Brit dismissed Horner’s claims, labeling them as mere ‘stirring.’ “I know it’s come from Christian. I don’t really understand what he’s been talking about. Because no one, as far as I’m aware from my team, has spoken to him. I haven’t spoken to Christian really in years,” Hamilton retorted.

“He did reach out to me earlier in the year about meeting up. But that’s it, I just congratulated him on an amazing year and said hopefully, soon I’ll be able to fight against you guys in the near future. That was it. So I’m not really sure. I think he’s just stirring things. There aren’t any confidential discussions. You know Christian. He loves that kind of stuff,” he added.

Hamilton also spoke about the fact that he would be “more than happy” to race the Dutchman in an equal car. Even Max Verstappen was of the same opinion. When asked if he would entertain the prospect of having Lewis as his teammate, he asserted, “There’s no point to make up stories ‘if, if’. It’s not happening. I wouldn’t mind. It doesn’t matter.”

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Horner’s apparent false claims about the 7-time world champion quickly came under scrutiny from the pundits in the F1 community.

Christian Horner faces backlash from the F1 Insiders for trying to take the spotlight

F1 pundit and respected journalist Edd Straw weighed in on the controversy. He criticized Horner’s move to seize the spotlight by stating the things that are otherwise obvious within the F1 world.

In his column for The Race, Straw argued, “A top driver’s management consulting with rival teams, particularly one that has the best car in Formula 1, is not big news. It would be a surprise if Hamilton’s management hadn’t done that as part of the due diligence process surrounding any new deal.”

Straw continued, “Sadly, in the madcap media world of F1 like this, such stories gain disproportionate attention when they really mean very little other than stating the obvious. It’s a shame that in the current landscape, stories like this are the ones that catch people’s attention rather than what is really appealing about a wonderful sporting competition like F1.”

The seasoned journalist suggested that it would be equally surprising if Max Verstappen’s management hadn’t kept in touch with rival teams. He emphasized that such discussions are a routine part of the due diligence process in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.

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What are your thoughts on watching Max and Lewis going toe to toe in equal cars? Who do you think would eventually come out on top? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.