“The silence was part of the drama” - Lewis Hamilton's retirement was never an issue for Red Bull

Red Bull F1 team CEO Christian Horner and senior adviser Helmut Marko remained unfazed by Lewis Hamilton’s silence on social media during the winter break and his retirement rumors. While the Red Bull Team Principal believes the silence was part of the off-season drama, the team's senior consultant revealed he never believed the Briton's continuance in the sport.

Commenting on Lewis Hamilton’s silence over the winter-break to German publication Autobild, Christian Horner said:

“The silence was part of the drama”

Despite the dramatic end to the Mercedes champion's 2021 title campaign, Horner refused to read into the Briton’s silence or feel the need to analyze the message behind it. The Red Bull team principal was unfazed by the antics and felt it was all part of the drama in the sport.

German publication Autobild, who quoted the Red Bull team's senior leadership, believes that the retirement rumors surrounding the Briton's retirement were a ruse. The publication also believes that British media and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was responsible for amplifying the rumors surrounding Hamilton's retirement after the Abu Dhabi GP.

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Red Bull F1 team advisor Helmut Marko never believed Lewis Hamilton was going to quit the sport

Red Bull F1 team senior advisor Helmut Marko revealed that it never seemed like the the seven-time world champion was going to quit the sport, as he did not notice any restlessness within Mercedes or the driver market. The Austrian veteran also believed there was no speculation behind the scenes that indicating the Mercedes champion was to be replaced in the 2022 F1 season.

Commenting on Lewis Hamilton’s retirement rumors, Helmut Marko said:

“Normally there would be unrest if there was any truth to the resignation, then the wires would run hot behind the scenes to replace Lewis. But there was nothing: no calls, no phone calls, not even internal speculation. Neither here nor anywhere else.”

According to Marko, if a driver was leaving or retiring there would have been calls between racing camps, or gossip along the grapevine. However there was never any certain indication that the British champion was to be replaced in the team therefore he never believed any of the retirement rumors.