Red Bull Hamilton talks did happen, according to Christian Horner. The former Red Bull team principal says the team held early discussions with Lewis Hamilton's management before the British driver joined Mercedes for 2013 — and that he then pointed Niki Lauda towards the signing. Horner makes the claim in his new book, Drive, on sale Thursday, and expanded on it during an appearance on Sky Sports' The F1 Show Podcast.
Red Bull Hamilton talks and the 2012 driver market
Horner frames the approach as routine arithmetic rather than a courtship. Red Bull had the fastest car; the fastest drivers wanted it. Hamilton was managed at the time by Simon Fuller, and Horner says the pitch came with a price attached.
"I remember Simon telling me that he and I could do the biggest sport deal that sport had ever seen, which would inevitably mean Red Bull paying a lot of money."
The proposal would have put Hamilton in the car alongside Sebastian Vettel from 2013, in the seat occupied by Mark Webber. Vettel had just taken three consecutive drivers' titles. Senior figures at Red Bull, including co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, were not enthusiastic about the idea.
Why Red Bull chose not to upset the apple cart
Horner's account is that the internal verdict landed quickly and against the move. The reasoning was stability, not a judgement on Hamilton's speed.
"There wasn't an enthusiasm to do that within the team. We had a winning driver in Seb, did we really need to upset the apple cart?"
Red Bull retained Vettel and Webber. Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes at the start of 2013, a switch widely credited to Lauda, who was Mercedes' non-executive chairman during the negotiations in the second half of 2012. Horner's version adds a step: he says he suggested the move to Lauda himself.
Niki Lauda, Mercedes and the Singapore gearbox failure
Mercedes had only recently bought Brawn and were struggling, Horner notes, after a few years with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher that had not come together. His recollection is that he told Lauda to go for Hamilton, who was becoming frustrated at McLaren.
Horner identifies the Singapore Grand Prix that September as the pivot. Hamilton led, then stopped with a gearbox failure. Vettel won. Horner was on the podium and looked down to see Lauda, who had removed his hat — a rarity — and given him the biggest thumbs up.
"I think things had sort of been happening over that weekend and he knew that result was only going to help his cause."
Horner on Verstappen, Antonelli and the title picture
Horner was sacked by Red Bull in July 2025 and has watched from home since, including Max Verstappen's recent wins in Malaysia and Singapore. Verstappen joined Red Bull from the fifth round of 2016 and won his first race with the team at 18, still the youngest Grand Prix winner.
Horner calls that victory "fairy-tale stuff" and Verstappen the greatest talent he has seen, citing an ability to reach the car's limit while keeping spare capacity to read tyres, switches and the race around him. He also rates Kimi Antonelli highly. Antonelli can become F1's youngest world champion at 20 this weekend at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, and would break Vettel's record.
"George Russell's no idiot, so to be getting on top of him is truly impressive. It'll be fascinating in future years if he does get the opportunity to go head to head with Max."
This is the first season since 2020 that Verstappen has not been in a title fight. Horner's book lands Thursday; the paddock reconvenes in Austin.
The original report was published by skysports.com.
