Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had shockingly claimed recently that Lewis Hamilton had contacted his side for a potential move. However, the 38-year-old British driver has denied conversing with the Milton Keynes outfit. Since Red Bull currently have the fastest car on the grid, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer seems baffled by the Briton’s denial.
Appearing on the Weekend Warm-up program for F1TV, Palmer said, “A conversation doesn’t mean that much. The drivers, they should be knocking on the doors of the best team and saying, ‘Is there a chance?’. Obviously, Lewis is just happy to stick with Mercedes, where’s he’s won. But he’s not won a race for two years. I’m just surprised if he wouldn’t have just tried to even have a conversation.”
Horner had recently revealed to The Daily Mail (as quoted by PlanetF1), “They [Hamilton’s entourage] have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest.”
However, Hamilton was quick to refute those claims. He said, “I don’t really know where that story has come from. I mean, I know it’s come from Christian, so I don’t really understand what he’s been talking about because no one, as far as I’m aware, from my team has spoken to him.”
While Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he has not been in touch with Red Bull, Palmer believes that every driver should be in touch with the Milton Keynes outfit. Especially when Sergio Perez‘s seat on the team is in jeopardy for 2024 and beyond.
Will Red Bull replace Sergio Perez?
Sergio Perez is likely to continue to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2024. However, the performance deficit that he has been having to the Dutchman means that his seat with Red Bull will be at risk all the time.
Perez’s inability to step up to Verstappen’s level will be a problem when Red Bull’s rivals step up next year. Then, the team would require both their drivers to fire on all cylinders to ensure that they can defend their Constructors’ and Driver’s championships successfully.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently declared that he believes only Hamilton is capable of matching the Dutchman. Naturally, if Perez’s lack of form continues, the Milton-Keynes-based team will look for a replacement. But with Perez sealing P2 in 2023, he will most likely remain with the team for the entirety of 2024.
