Christian Horner asserts that there is no room at Red Bull for Lewis Hamilton, ruling out a potential shock move to the team for the seven-time World Champion.
Hamilton is enduring a difficult period in Formula 1, having competed at the front of the field for much of his F1 career.
However, the Mercedes team, with whom Hamilton secured six of his seven F1 titles, is currently struggling with the current generation of car.
Rumours regarding Hamilton’s future have been swirling for some time, with his contract at Mercedes expiring at the end of the year.
Red Bull has Max Verstappen under contracted until 2028, while Sergio Perez’s deal runs to the end of the 2024 campaign.
Although he is still viewed as a blockbuster driver, Horner says that Red Bull is not interested in bringing him to the team.
“What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none but we’re very happy with the drivers that we have,” Horner told Sky Sports News.
“They’re committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So, I can’t see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis.”
Hamilton shared an intense rivalry with Verstappen during 2021, with both gunning for the title.
The pair collided on several occasions throughout the season and the championship was decided in controversial circumstances, going the way of Verstappen.
Mercedes has had a slow start to the 2023 campaign while Red Bull has dominated – however, Horner says he expects the field to close up as the season goes on.
“I’m sure they [Mercedes] are going to sort their issues out – we’re certainly not writing him off yet,” Horner said.
“We’re hearing about big Mercedes upgrades, I’m sure Ferrari aren’t happy with their current position as well.
“So, we’re fully expecting things to converge quickly once we get back into Europe.
“The regulations are still relatively young, it’s only the second year of these regulations. I’m expecting to see an awful lot of convergence over the course of the year and the grid is going to tighten up.
“We need to make hay while the sun shines at the moment while we’ve got a competitive car, keep pushing through the season.”
