Imagine the kind of on-track action that having Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen race each other in virtually equal machinery would produce. The ultimate Formula 1 driver lineup? Probably. As exhilarating and somewhat bizarre as that would be, a couple of issues will prevent this from ever happening, the biggest one being money. A lot of money.
Speaking to Motorsport. com, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted he was aware that team principal Christian Horner had contacted Hamilton earlier in the year, after Hamilton’s father Anthony advised the two to talk.
“Christian informed me and showed me the text message he had received, but I told him, ‘Hamilton and Max, this doesn’t work,'” Marko told Motorsport. com. “There has been too much action and how to say it”, in 2021, tension. And on the other hand, we can’t have the two most beloved drivers in the same team.
Rumours that Red Bull were interested in Hamilton surfaced at the season finale in Abu Dhabi last month, the various reports being met with indifference from both sides. In the end, Horner showed that he had indeed contacted Hamilton, but he had done so through an old mobile phone number and had never really contacted the seven-time world champion.
Once Horner spoke to Marko about the attempted contact, the team’s former adviser reportedly dismissed the idea, saying it wasn’t possible.
“It’s never going to happen. So I told Christian, ‘No way,'” Marko told the outlet.
Even if those obstacles didn’t exist, the likelihood of either champion driving under the same banner is incredibly low. Hamilton claims to be unwavering with Mercedes and is confident he can help the team win the championship again. As far as Verstappen is concerned, he is unlikely to welcome Hamilton to a purpose-built team, which would necessarily open the door to a conceivable reshuffle.
Under their existing contracts, and unless something strange happens, we will continue to see Hamilton and Mercedes trying to break through, while Verstappen and Red Bull will try to maintain their superiority.
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