ABU DHABI — Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has denied Christian Horner’s declare that he contacted Pink Bull earlier this 12 months about the potential of driving for the world champions.

A narrative within the Each day Mail quoted Horner saying an unnamed individual from Hamilton’s administration had reached out about the potential of the seven-time world champion becoming a member of Pink Bull as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Hamilton signed a two-year deal to stay at Mercedes in August whereas Verstappen went on to safe his third world title in October.

“We now have had a number of conversations through the years about Lewis becoming a member of,” Horner advised the Each day Mail. “They’ve reached out a number of occasions. Most just lately, earlier within the 12 months, there was an inquiry about whether or not there could be any curiosity.”

Requested if there was any fact to the story forward of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton advised reporters: “I’ve checked with everybody in my group and no-one has spoken to them. However they’ve tried to achieve out to us.”

Hamilton went on to clarify how he missed a message from Horner earlier this 12 months.

“Principally, I picked up my previous cellphone, which had my previous quantity on it,” Hamilton stated. “I switched it on and clearly lots of of messages got here via and I realised there was one from Christian [asking] to get collectively and have a chat on the finish of the season.

“Initially, I simply replied to him on my new cellphone, it was after a [race] weekend, it was fairly late on when I discovered the message, nevertheless it was from earlier within the 12 months, so it was months later. I simply stated congratulations on the wonderful season and I hope we’re in a position to compete with you quickly. Then he replied repeating the identical factor.”

Horner additionally claimed Hamilton held talks with Ferrari through its chairman John Elkann and prompt he might have spoken with group principal Fred Vasseur too.

“I do know John rather well,” Hamilton stated. “We met years in the past within the Google camp. I went to a Google camp in Sicily, and that is when our friendship began and we have at all times remained in contact.

“I’ve identified Fred since 2005, and we have at all times had a extremely nice relationship. We would speak usually since he is been in Formulation One.

“As a result of after I left his group, we might speak on a regular basis clearly after I was in his group, then I got here to Formulation One, and you’ve got much less contact with the Formulation 2 sequence.

“However since he is been again, we have met right here, we have travelled along with Toto. In order that’s actually so far as it goes.”

Requested why Horner would possibly fabricate a narrative about him, Hamilton added: “In the event you actually give it some thought, there are lots of people right here that prefer to drop my identify in lots of conversations as a result of they know it may make waves.

“And if you’re slightly bit lonely and you aren’t getting a lot consideration, that is the right factor to do, simply point out my identify.”

Hamilton is prone to file his second winless season in a row this 12 months after his Mercedes group, which delivered him six titles between 2014 and 2020, has struggled to adapt to new F1 rules launched in 2022.

Pink Bull has dominated the game below the brand new guidelines, however Hamilton stated he would take extra satisfaction from returning Mercedes to the highest somewhat than being parachuted in to a profitable group.

“Hopefully signing [with Mercedes] has confirmed my dedication to the group,” he stated. “I believe, let’s be lifelike, each single driver that is racing right here desires of being within the profitable automobile. I believe most likely right here, in my youthful days, after I have not had quite a lot of success, perhaps in these McLaren days, it will have been much more engaging.

“Once I take into consideration simply from a racing perspective and my viewpoint on issues, clearly exhibiting after I moved to this group, I loved transferring from a extra profitable group to a group that hadn’t had success with the imaginative and prescient of rising and constructing with the group, as a result of after we did then win, it was simply such a greater feeling.

“While each driver right here seems to be on the Pink Bull automobile and would like to drive that automobile, and I am not saying that I would not like to drive that automobile and expertise how good that automobile is, each driver would really feel that, I really feel like we have had two actually troublesome years, and if we work in the direction of beating that automobile, that is going to be a method higher feeling than entering into simply the most effective automobile.

“I do not suppose it will do a lot for me within the sense of simply stepping right into a automobile that is been essentially the most dominant automobile of all-time. Working with my group to construct to have the ability to beat them I believe could be higher for my legacy, for positive.”

Hamilton added that he would don’t have any downside being Verstappen’s teammate, regardless of their intense rivalry in 2021 when Hamilton misplaced out on the title to the Pink Bull driver on the closing race.

“I might be very happy to race in opposition to Max in the identical automobile,” he stated. “That will be fantastic. I do not suppose he desires me to be his teammate.”