Lewis Hamilton’s remarks on Max Verstappen’s lackluster teammates have emerged again after he discussed joining him at Red Bull with Christian Horner.
Perhaps Hamilton reasoned that at last, the World Champion would face some opposition.
Prior to Hamilton signing his most recent Mercedes deal back in August, Red Bull team manager Horner said on Wednesday night that the seven-time World Champion’s representatives had contacted him.
Lewis Hamilton’s people ‘reached out’ to Red Bull
And it wasn’t the first time.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Horner said: “We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining.
“They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest.
“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.”
Many would argue that this dynamic would produce the best lineup on the grid, but Red Bull would rather avoid the problem of having “too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Lewis Hamilton questions calibre of Max Verstappen’s team-mates
Over the course of the last three seasons, the two’s disagreements have garnered media attention, beginning when they squared off for the world championship in 2021. Nevertheless, Red Bull and Verstappen have dominated ever since.
The Dutchman won 15 races in the previous season and 18 of 21 this one.Earlier this season, Hamilton questioned Verstappen’s teammates’ ability since Sergio Perez, his teammate, only wins two championships per season.
After joining Red Bull, he has paired with Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, and Perez, who now occupies the other Red Bull seat.However, none of them have performed as well as Verstappen, who hasn’t competed against “strong” teammates, according to Hamilton.
“In my personal opinion, all my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had: Jenson, Fernando, George, Valtteri, Nico,” he told Sky F1.
“I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent – and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”
As a result, the 103-time Grand Prix winner believes Red Bull deserves more credit for the Dutchman’s string of victories.
“I’m no more impressed than when Michael [Schumacher] was leading, when Sebastian [Vettel] was leading when Kimi [Raikkonen] was driving, when Fernando was winning – it’s just the same,” he added.
“I think the [Red Bull] team as a whole is one of the strongest, they’re firing on all cylinders right now.”
Max Verstappen fired back
Verstappen accused the Mercedes driver of being envious, making it obvious that he didn’t like what Hamilton had to say about his achievements and his teammates.Rather of “shouting and screaming” about other people, he advised Mercedes and the Briton to “work harder.”
“Maybe he’s a little jealous of my current success,” Verstappen said. “This kind of statement… he possibly thinks he’s winning something with that, but it makes no difference to me.
“I think Mercedes have a very hard time dealing with losing, after all these years of winning so much. At some point, you have to be realistic and then you have to be able to appreciate what other teams are doing.
“We did the same when they were dominant and we also said, ‘We have to work harder because we are not good enough’.
“You can keep shouting and screaming that what we do is not that special… you just have to deal with yourself.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Horner, who said: “He’s had several team-mates, obviously he’s always had the upper hand on his team-mates.
“But it’s not just been about competing against team-mates, it’s about competing against the rest of the field as well.
“And I think that Max has clearly demonstrated what he’s capable of. And indeed, some drivers might not even want to drive alongside him!”
