Christian Horner claims Lewis Hamilton reached out to join Red Bull before signing an extension with Mercedes this season

Red Bull boss Christian Horner recently dropped a bombshell, claiming that Lewis Hamilton approached his team and even Ferrari during the 2023 F1 season to talk about a potential move.

Earlier this year, there were speculations surrounding the seven-time world champion's future in Formula 1 and whether he would finally part ways with Mercedes. Throughout 2023, there were rumors about Hamilton being approached by Ferrari.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has now claimed that Lewis Hamilton and his representatives reached out to Red Bull earlier in 2023. The talk between the parties was allegedly an inquiry about whether the reigning world champions would be interested in having the Brit on board.

"We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining. They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest," Christian Horner said to Daily Mail UK.

Furthermore, Horner went on to claim that the Brit also had talks with Ferrari chairman John Elkann around the time of the 2023 F1 Monaco GP in May.

"He [Lewis Hamilton] met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks. It was around Monaco (in May). There were definitely conversations, perhaps with Vasseur, too. But certainly with Elkann."

The Red Bull team boss added that he cannot see Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton working together on the same team. He claimed that the team is 100% happy with their current driver line-up.

"But I can't see Max and Lewis working out together. The dynamic wouldn't be right. We are 100 per cent happy with what we have."

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Lewis Hamilton on extending his contract with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes announced the former's contract extension on the last day of August 2023. The seven-time world champion's stay with the team was extended until 2025.

In the team's press release, Hamilton said he was delighted to stay with the team for two more years and that he was hungry to win more. He was quoted as saying:

“We dream everyday of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal. Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team."

The 38-year-old added:

"We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do."

All the rumors and speculations about Hamilton moving away from Mercedes died down after the team finally announced his contract extension.