Christian Horner responds to claims Lewis Hamilton could join Red Bull

Christian Horner says he ‘can’t see’ Sir Lewis Hamilton moving to Red Bull in the near-future amid speculation of the Mercedes driver’s future.

Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the year and while he has claimed he will stay with the Silver Arrows, team boss Toto Wolff admitted he could leave if they cannot deliver a title winning car.

The Mercedes W14 is far off the pace of Red Bull RB19, with the seven-time world champion visibly and vocally frustrated with the lack of improvement from last season.

If the 38-year-old was to leave, it would only be for another top team like Red Bull or Ferrari, and while some have suggested he could go to the latter, Horner has ruled out the shock possibility of him joining the reigning champions.

‘What Lewis has achieved in Formula One is second to none, but we’re very happy with the drivers that we have,’ the Red Bull team principal told Sky News.

‘They [Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez] are committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So, I can’t see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis.

‘I’m sure they [Mercedes] are going to sort their issues out – we’re certainly not writing him off yet. We’re hearing about big Mercedes upgrades, I’m sure Ferrari aren’t happy with their current position as well.

‘So, we’re fully expecting things to converge quickly.’

Two-time champion Verstappen is contracted to stay at Red Bull until 2028, while Perez is currently signed up until 2024, though there has been speculation that the line-up could change should their relationship grow more frictious.

Red Bull have recorded back-to-back 1-2 finishes – something they haven’t done since 2009 – in the opening two races of the 2023 season, with their car far, far clear of the rest of the grid.

Many are concerned that their dominance may put fans off the sport this year but Horner hopes this will not be the case.

‘Some of the racing has been fantastic and we saw a great race again at the weekend [in Saudi Arabia] between our two drivers,’ the 49-year-old added.

‘If you do have two dominant cars who are racing each other than I think that does create a spectacle in itself.

‘But I have no doubt that the opposition will be coming back quickly especially as we come back into the European season when updates start to come through.’

The F1 season continues with the Australian Grand Prix on 2nd April.

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