"It’s just never going to happen": Red Bull chief addresses a potential Max Verstappen-Lewis Hamilton driver lineup

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko mentioned that the Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen driver lineup would never happen in the team.

Ahead of the season-finale in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner had pointed out that the seven-time world champion had contacted them for a potential drive in the 2024 season. However, the Briton denied the claims and doubled down on staying with Mercedes.

Speaking with Motorsport.com, Marko stated that the driver pairing between Verstappen and Hamilton would never happen given the "tension" between them while also speaking about their huge salaries. He said:

"Christian informed me and showed me the text message he received, but I told him: ‘Hamilton and Max, that doesn't work.’ There was too much action and how should I say, in 2021, tension. And on the other hand, we cannot afford to have the two most expensive drivers in one team. It's just never going to happen. So I told Christian: ‘No way.’”

Lewis Hamilton speaks about having doubts about his Mercedes future

Lewis Hamilton stated that he never had doubts about continuing with Mercedes while he was negotiating a new deal with them.

The F1 great has struggled with the German team since the beginning of the 2022 season and has not won a race since the 2021 season. When asked if he had doubts about their future, Lewis Hamilton said:

“No, not when we were doing negotiations. I do have faith that we will get there. We have been here before as a team and while we have more and more new people, we still have great values, and I see great focus within everyone. It’s just having really good conversations with everyone back at the factory that they actually make the changes and make the right decisions, and that so easily can go the wrong way."

Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year extension with the German team that would see him race with them until the end of the 2025 season. It would be fascinating to see if the Briton can get back to winning ways with the team in the next two years.