“That backfired” – When $285 Million Lewis Hamilton got rejected by Red Bull

In 2013, Lewis Hamilton was keen on joining the Red Bull team alongside Sebastian Vettel but got rejected by the team.

Lewis Hamilton has been a Mercedes driver since 2013 and has won six championship titles with the Brackley-based team. The seven-time world champion is now considering an extension of his contract with Mercedes beyond 2023.

Although it is fascinating to consider a scenario where different decisions could have been made and changed the course of history. The scenario is what if the British driver had joined Red Bull in 2013 instead of Mercedes.

As it turns out, Hamilton was very keen to join the Red Bull F1 team alongside Sebastian Vettel. Having already won his first title with McLaren in his second year in F1, he was a sensation around the grid. But McLaren’s declining performance saw Hamilton fail to fight for the title.

In a recent interview, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that he and Hamilton had discussed the possibility of him replacing Mark Webber.

However, in the end, Horner rejected Hamilton to take a seat alongside Sebastian Vettel. The Red Bull team principal believed that two alpha drivers would not be able to work together as a team.

Also Read: $5.5 Billion worth couple convinced Lewis Hamilton to stay in F1

Horner encouraged Niki Lauda to sign Lewis Hamilton

Furthermore, Horner went on to explain that he had encouraged Niki Lauda to sign Hamilton at Mercedes.

The Red Bull team boss said, “Niki Lauda was at Mercedes and was very keen to take Lewis. I remember encouraging him to take him. We were fighting McLaren and in 2012, they had the fastest car. We felt that Lewis in a McLaren would be more of a threat than in a Mercedes.

“I encouraged Niki to spend the money as Lewis was wavering a little bit. It would be fair to say that backfired on me.”

Also Read: 13-time Grand Prix winner believes Lewis Hamilton could ruin Max Verstappen’s 2022 title battle