Lewis Hamilton’s agent approached Red Bull about joining Max Verstappen at the world championship-winning team before signing a £100 million agreement to stay at Mercedes, and he also spoke with Ferrari.
The shocking comments were made in an exclusive interview with Red Bull team head Christian Horner, shattering Hamilton’s assertion that Mercedes was the only place he intended to finish his career.
The discoveries back up Mail Sport’s May report that Hamilton and Ferrari discussed a contract, which was openly rejected by Hamilton and Scuderia team head Fred Vasseur at the time but has now been confirmed right.
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.”
“He met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks.”
“It was around Monaco (in May). There were definitely conversations, perhaps with Vasseur, too. But certainly with Elkann.”
“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.”
Hamilton, 38, agreed to a contract extension until the end of 2025 after prolonged discussions.
The agreement, which brings the seven-time champion’s age closer to 41, was disclosed at the end of August.
Horner refuses to reveal who approached him. If Lewis is ruled out as the agitator, the choice is between his New York-based manager Penni Thow and, as if from another era, his father Anthony.
Thow, the founder and CEO of Cooper, a firm that specializes in entertainment, media, fashion, sports, technology, and charity (if you will! ), has been appointed as Hamilton’s chief of staff. Though she attends most races, she is hardly known to the outside world or to the majority of the traveling F1 caravan.
She has been Lewis’s closest advisor and deputy for the past several years, and she steers him neatly away from racing-related financial activities.
But if Anthony wasn’t the conduit, I’d devour this newspaper. He is still a key force behind the throne fifteen years after being dumped by Lewis as his manager.
While we may never know who approached Hamilton, Horner is emphatic that Hamilton will never wear Red Bull overalls.
The team’s 50-year-old leader is unwavering in this regard. Before Lewis was given his major F1 break by Ron Dennis, Horner encouraged an impatient Anthony not to allow Lewis leave the McLaren stable and to play the long game when he enquired about a place there.
Horner also informed Lewis that his services were not necessary when he went to visit him publicly at the Canadian Grand Prix during the initial blooming of Red Bull triumph more than a decade ago. It’s a pity for the sport that we’ll never see Verstappen and Hamilton in the same car. It is the ultimate ticket.
Horner’s disclosure sheds light on Formula One’s deception. You can’t take a denial at its value, as Hamilton and Vasseur did when they denied any reality in the report we ran regarding Ferrari’s genuine interest in acquiring Hamilton’s services.
It also makes one wonder if Hamilton feels Mercedes can recover from their present slump – one victory in two seasons.
In any case, Horner is dedicated to remaining at Red Bull and making history, and is disinterested in controlling the sport, for example. When Stefano Domenicali quits, F1’s owners, Liberty Media, will search beyond the sport for their new CEO.
“We obviously had an incredible period with Sebastian Vettel and then we went through the dark years when we had an uncompetitive engine,’ said Horner, a Netflix ‘villain’ in his obvious animosity towards Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.”
“Shareholders were getting disenchanted with the sport and we managed to turn it around.”
“My passion is motor racing and Formula One and I have no burning desire to do anything else. I have a professional respect for Toto. We’re getting on great since he hasn’t been competitive.”
