Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that team principal Christian Horner handed him the Lewis Hamilton-related text message and made it obvious that partnering Max Verstappen would never happen due to cost or relationship concerns.
As F1 2023 came to a close, Horner dropped the shock that Hamilton’s management had been in contact with the potential of driving for Red Bull, the team having dominated the season with 21 grand prix wins out of a possible 22.
Horner stated that the contact came from Hamilton’s father Anthony, but Hamilton disputed this, accusing Horner of “stirring.”
Cost and tension rules out Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen dream team
Hamilton agreed to a new Mercedes deal earlier this season, agreeing new terms with the club with which he has won six World Championships till the end of 2025.
Verstappen, on the other hand, has kept the title scene under lock and key since 2021, as Hamilton and Mercedes seek a breakthrough to return to title contention.
Many fans have wished for a Verstappen and Hamilton dream partnership at Red Bull since their spectacular 2021 Championship duel, but Marko revealed that as soon as Horner showed him the messages sounding out a Hamilton to Red Bull move, he made it plain that could not happen.
In addition to the “tension” between the drivers, Marko stated that Red Bull could not afford to have the two highest-paid F1 stars in their lineup.
“Christian informed me and showed me the text message he received, but I told him: ‘Hamilton and Max, that doesn’t work,'” Marko stated, according to Motorsport.com.
“In 2021, there was too much action and, shall we say, tension.” On the other hand, we can’t afford to have two of the most costly drivers on the same team.
“It’s simply not going to happen.” So I said to Christian, ‘No way.'”
As Verstappen pursues a fourth World Championship in F1 2024, and Red Bull looks to maintain their stranglehold on the Constructors’ title, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is promising a concept change for the W15, one that will create a “more conventional” challenger, implying a more Red Bull-esque design.
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