2023-11-23 18:21:00
Nov 23, 2023, 1:21 PM ETLectura: 2 min.
Lewis Hamilton denies having sought out Red Bull to race with them, as Christian Horner said
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton denied having approached Christian Horner earlier this season to discuss the possibility of driving for Red Bull in F1, on the contrary, he said it was the Austrian team principal who made the first contact.
Hamilton entered the 20023 season without a 2024 contract with Mercedes, leading to much speculation in the media that he might end his decade-long spell with the Silver Arrows and sign for one of their paddock rivals.
But Hamilton put those rumors to rest when it was announced he had signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes in September.
Lewis Hamilton, during the media day for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Clive Rose/Getty Images
However, this week a report emerged in which Horner claimed that he had been contacted by a member of Hamilton’s representatives regarding the possibility of the Briton driving for Red Bull in 2024. Previous reports had also claimed that The seven-time world champion had spoken to Ferrari, something Hamilton denied earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, F1.com asked Hamilton regarding Horner’s comments.
“I haven’t gotten close to Christian; I haven’t spoken to Christian in years and no one on my team has.
“I consulted with everyone, no one from my team contacted him. However, he had contacted me regarding meeting at the end of the season.
And I said, ‘I hope you’re well, I wish you all the best, congratulations on an amazing season so far and I hope to be able to compete with you in the near future.’
Hamilton will now turn his attention to the track where Mercedes faces intense competition from Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship. They lead the Scuderia by just four points and Hamilton knows that he and his team have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to come out on top.
“I mean, I wish we weren’t in the position we were in,” Hamilton said. “I wish we were where we had been, that good margin for a period of time.
“But I guess it means we have to work harder this weekend and I’m definitely excited for the battle. I don’t know what we’ll be able to achieve, Ferrari is usually quite quick here, but I’m definitely very hopeful.” “
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