Lewis Hamilton has dismissed claims that he approached Red Bull about a potential move, accusing team principal Christian Horner of 'stirring' for attention. Horner had earlier stated that a member of Hamilton's camp inquired about a seat earlier this year, before Hamilton renewed his contract with Mercedes.
Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton flatly rejected the claim. 'There are a lot of people here that like to drop my name in conversations because they know it will make waves,' he said. 'If you are a little bit lonely, and are not getting much attention, that is the perfect thing to do, just to mention my name. He [Horner] is stirring things.'
Hamilton denied any contact from his representatives and revealed that Horner had actually reached out to him. 'I have checked with everyone in my team and nobody has spoken to them. However, he did reach out to me earlier on in the year about meeting up,' Hamilton explained. He added that he replied months later, congratulating Horner on Red Bull's season.
The seven-time world champion signed a new deal with Mercedes in August and insisted he spoke to team principal Toto Wolff to assure him the story was false. Hamilton also noted that he doubted Max Verstappen would want him as a teammate, though he would welcome the challenge. 'I would be more than happy to race against Max in the same car, it would be wonderful. I don't think he wants me to be his teammate,' he said.
Hamilton, who has not won since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, expressed a desire to rebuild Mercedes into a winning team rather than join the dominant Red Bull. 'That would be better for my legacy,' he concluded.
