Verstappen Reacts To Alleged Hamilton Red Bull Talks In 2023

Friday, 24 November 2023 at 10:11

Updated at Friday, 24 November 2023 at 11:42

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen responded to a recent feud between his team principal and Lewis Hamilton over supposed seat talks.

Christian Horner recently shared he was in talks with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton over a seat in Red Bull Racing multiple times in the past.

But most importantly, he revealed there was apparently an "inquiry about whether there would be any interest" at the beginning of the season 2023.

That was a time when Hamilton did not have a prolonged contract with Silver Arrows yet, so Horner's statement suggests the 38-year-old might not have always been planning to stay faithful to Mercedes.

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When approached with Horner's statements, the Mercedes driver responded that neither he nor his team has spoken to Red Bull's team principal for years.

If anything, Hamilton added he had been approached by Horner to meet at the end of the season. So we find ourselves in a very strange situation with two contradicting opinions.

Searching for more clarity on the topic, journalists asked Max Verstappen about his knowledge of the feud during Thursday Press Day ahead of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutchman responded:

"What would it add to know? It's not happening. There's no point to make up stories if it's not happening."

While multiple F1 fans would like to see the three-time World Champion directly compared in the same machinery as the seven-time World Champion, it has not and most probably will not happen.

Verstappen says would not mind, but his team principal mentioned recently he would not want "two extreme alphas" in the team. The Dutchman concluded:

"I wouldn't mind, but it doesn't matter. I don't want to put it, particularly on Lewis. There's so many great drivers as well [on the grid]. Sometimes it just doesn't work out like that."