"I don't think he would want me as a teammate” - Lewis Hamilton fires a cheeky dig at Max Verstappen amid Red Bull saga

Lewis Hamilton feels the prospect of teaming up with Max Verstappen would be great but doesn’t think the Dutchman would desire it. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda ahead of the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, the Mercedes star reckoned it was Christian Horner who reached out to him.

After the Las Vegas GP, a story broke out about Hamilton potentially reaching out to Red Bull to check if there was a potential opportunity for him. Horner has not yet commented on the subject, but the Briton dismissed such claims as he spoke to Sky Sports.

Max Verstappen was also asked what he thought of pairing alongside the Mercedes driver in the press conference. The Dutchman felt he did not have any specific demands on who is teammate was going to be.

Asked by Sportskeeda to clarify whether he messaged Horner or vice versa, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I didn’t approach them. I got a text from Christian.”

Hamilton was then informed by Sportskeeda about Verstappen’s reply in the press conference. Asked if it was a bond that could be worked upon, he said:

“I don’t know if it would be a bond, but I’d be more than happy to race against Max in the same car. That would be wonderful. I don’t think he wants me to be his teammate.”

Hamilton was also asked if anyone in his team reached out to Red Bull or Horner, to which he replied:

“I’ve checked with everyone in my team and no-one has spoken to them. But they have tried to reach out to us.”

Verstappen has notably claimed time and time again that he has no prerequisites on who his teammate will be. The 2025 Red Bull seat has numerous contenders, including former occupant Daniel Ricciardo.

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Lewis Hamilton explains that Christian Horner asked him to catch up with him

During a media interaction, Lewis Hamilton explained that Christian Horner left him a message to catch up at the end of the season. The Briton claimed he stumbled on the the message amongst several others on his old phone and number.

While there was no indication in the message what it was for, Hamilton said it was just a general message to catch up. Upon being probed further by media about the exchange between him and Horner, he added:

“Basically, I picked up my old phone, which I’ve just found that on, which had my old number on it. I switched it on and obviously hundreds of messages came through and I realised there was one from Christian to get together and have a chat at the end of the season.”

Asked if it concerned a potential drive, he said:

“He didn’t say. He said to have a catch up.”

He was also asked if he would fancy a coffee with Horner, to which he replied:

“Probably not.”

The second Red Bull seat for the 2025 season has had numerous candidates linked to it from outside the team, such as Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. At the moment, however, Hamilton is signed up with Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season.