Lewis Hamilton signed a new two-year contract with Mercedes – understood to be worth £50million a year – in August but it has been claimed he had talks with rivals Red Bull and Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has slammed Christian Horner for “stirring things” after the Red Bull chief claimed Britain’s seven-time world champion wanted to race alongside Max Verstappen.
In August, Hamilton agreed to a new two-year deal with Mercedes, which is reportedly worth £50 million annually, to continue competing in Formula One after turning forty. In the midst of a difficult season for the Silver Arrows, where Verstappen easily won a third consecutive world championship in a dominant Red Bull car, he made the decision to commit to his current employers.
There was speculation over Hamilton’s future for much of the season and Red Bull team principal Horner has now claimed they received an approach from his representatives before he committed to Mercedes. The Red Bull chief also said the Brit was in dialogue with Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
But Hamilton, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, has slammed Horner for speaking out publicly – and says reports that he wanted to quit Mercedes are false. He told Sky Sports: “I don’t really get where that story has come from. I don’t know what he is talking about because as far as I am aware, nobody from my team has spoken to him. I haven’t really spoken to him in years.
“He did reach out to me earlier in the year about meeting up but that’s it. I congratulated him on an amazing year and said I hoped I would be fighting with Red Bull in the coming years. That was it, there was no confidential discussion.
“I think he is just stirring things, he loves that kind of stuff. I would be more than happy to race against Max in an equal car but for me, moving from a car that is not so great to a winning car is not a dream for me.
The dream for me is to start where we are now and build up to winning. That is why I stayed with Mercedes. Red Bull has done an amazing job and is an amazing team and any driver would love to drive for such a great group of people.”
Hamilton’s comments are a strong-worded response to Horner’s surprising claim in which he opened up on contract talks this season. “We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining,” Horner told the Daily Mail.
“They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest. He met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks. But I can’t see Max and Lewis working out together. The dynamic wouldn’t be right. We are 100 per cent happy with what we have.”
The 2023 F1 season closes this end of the week in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton was questionably beaten to the drivers’ title by Verstappen in the last race in 2021. Hamilton has not come out on top in a race in two seasons and will complete third in the standings this year, while the Dutchman is offering for his nineteenth success of a record-breaking effort.
We need to return to the top, and back to battling for big showdowns. We are in the same boat,” Hamilton said when his new arrangement was reported in August. “We have a great deal of work to do, yet there is no place else I would prefer to be. You are totally stayed with me for somewhat longer.”