F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton denies swap rumours as Abu Dhabi track claims victim
Christian Horner lifts lid on 'serious talks' with Lewis Hamilton about joining Red Bull
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concludes the F1 calendar for the season this weekend with drivers set to fight it out during qualifying today. Despite already wrapping up the Drivers’ Championship Max Verstappen was in a restless mood during practice as he pushed past both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton as they exited the pit lane.
The Dutch driver has 18 victories to his name this season from 22 rounds and will be favourite to win for a third consecutive season in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull chief Christian Horner sparked controversy ahead of the race weekend by claiming that a Hamilton representative had enquired about the possibility of British driver joining Red Bull, before signing a contract renewal at Mercedes.
Hamilton denies the rumour stating that he is happy with the Silver Arrows. However, the seven-time world champion is without a race victory in the last two seasons after struggling with his car in consecutive campaigns.
The Abu Dhabi track has already taken its first victim of the weekend as Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz lost control of his car and span into the barriers. Sainz seriously damaged his car and the crash resulted in the second practice session being delayed.
You can follow all of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix build-up with Express Sport’s LIVE blog below…
More F1… Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi GP fear says it all as Max Verstappen fight ‘years’ away
Marko supports Horner’s comments on Hamilton
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has supported Christian Horner’s story that Lewis Hamilton was interested in joining the team.
However, he said that there was a condition that risked upsetting three-time title winner Max Verstappen.
“I can only say that Christian Horner told me in January about a text message he received from Hamilton‘s entourage,” Marko told F1 Insider. “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 as Max Verstappen. For me, at least, there was no doubt that the request from the Hamilton side was serious.”
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s F1 coverage on race weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Drivers will be competing for qualifying positions this afternoon following the third practice session.
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Source: Read Full Article