Red Bull chief names why Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will not be teammates
Christian Horner lifts lid on ‘serious talks’ with Lewis Hamilton about joining Red Bull
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed the reason why Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will never be Red Bull team-mates. Seven-time world champion Hamilton reportedly approached Red Bull regarding a potential move before agreeing a renewed deal with Mercedes earlier this season.
Christian Horner claims that a representative of the British star had contacted him regarding a potential move, which Hamilton denies. Marko has now outlined a reason why Drivers’ Championship winner Verstappen would be reluctant to have Hamilton as his team-mate.
The feud dates back to the British Grand Prix in 2021 when the pair crashed on the entry to a high-speed corner during the opening lap. Verstappen came off worse from the big impact hitting the barriers and was taken to hospital for precautionary tests.
Meanwhile, Hamilton overturned a 10-second time penalty to win his home Grand Prix. Marko told OE24 that the incident is the reason the pair can never be team-mates. He said: Verstappen and Hamilton in one team, that doesn’t work. With Max, what happened in 2021 is too deep-rooted.”
Marko also supports Horner’s claim that Hamilton’s representative had reached out to the team. He told F1 Insider: “I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from Hamilton‘s entourage.
“It seemed authorised by the driver. There was talk of a condition that Hamilton set: he only wanted to drive for Red Bull if he also got the same material [money] as Max Verstappen. For me, at least, there was no doubt that the request from the Hamilton side was serious.”
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There has been some doubt over the future of Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez as he struggled to match Verstappen’s resulted in the mid-season. However, the Mexican seems to now have the support from Marko after finishing on the podium at Las Vegas.
“There were never any considerations about letting Hamilton drive alongside Verstappen,” added Marko. “Firstly, we are well positioned with our driver squad including Sergio Perez.”
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