Lewis Hamilton put off joining Verstappen at Red Bull due to one staff member

Lewis Hamilton would not beat rival Max Verstappen if they shared the same Red Bull car due to the Dutchman’s close relationship with design chief Adrian Newey, according to Peter Windsor. The Formula One pundit has ruled out Hamilton ever making the switch to Red Bull on the basis that the Briton would still be trumped by Verstappen. 

Mercedes star Hamilton’s future has been the subject of speculation in recent months. The seven-time world champion is yet to sign a new contract with the Silver Arrows. 

A report from the Daily Mail in May claimed that Ferrari were set to offer Hamilton a ground-breaking £40million contract to join them. However, he has played down talk of a switch to the Italian outfit. 

One team Hamilton will certainly not be joining, though, is Red Bull. Windsor does not believe the 38-year-old would finally overcome Hamilton and win a record eighth world title in the same car as the reigning champion due to the relationship between the driver and Newey, Red Bull’s chief technology officer. 

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“Well, in order for them to be team-mates, it would mean Lewis obviously joining Red Bull. And in that situation, I think it would be Max,” Windsor told fans on his YouTube channel.

“Because Max has this symbiotic relationship with Adrian [Newey], and for sure with Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal], but more importantly with Adrian, because Adrian is the guy.

“And Max knows Adrian’s brain pretty well and for sure, Adrian knows Max pretty well. And there’s only one Adrian and Lewis would be chiming into that, to some extent, and he’d be getting in his racing car and it would feel great, much better than the Mercedes, and he might out-qualify Max by a tenth or two.

“But in terms of overall in a season, it would be almost impossible I think to beat the Max Verstappen-Adrian Newey partnership, even if you’re Lewis Hamilton, or George Russell, or Charles Leclerc, or anybody, because it’s not just Max, and it’s not just Adrian – it’s the two of them together.”

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Hamilton once seemed destined to remain at Mercedes for the foreseeable future. But with no clear breakthrough in discussions over a new deal, rumours have mounted that he could depart as he seeks to overtake Michael Schumacher and become the most decorated Formula One star. 

He recently said about his future: “We had a good meeting just recently. They are very complex contracts. It’s not just a simple driving contract.”

Hamilton added: “We have talked several times. We have a great relationship. It will get done when it’s done. If that’s next week, in a month’s time, as long as it’s done I’m not really bothered.”

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