Lewis Hamilton and Christian Horner might need a heart-to-heart if the former rivals end up joining forces at Ferrari. Talk of Horner moving to Ferrari has re-emerged after a dismal season for the Italian team, who had hoped to challenge for both titles after finishing just behind McLaren in last year's constructors' championship.
Ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix, they're a distant third, a whopping 352 points behind McLaren, who have already clinched the teams' title. Horner, who was let go by Red Bull in July, has been linked with several teams, including Aston Martin, Alpine and Haas.
The 51-year-old has previously held discussions with the Italian outfit and according to the Daily Mail, Ferrari chairman John Elkann is still keen on bringing him on board to replace current boss Frederic Vasseur, who is feeling the heat despite recently signing a new contract.
'Hollow victory' claimHamilton and Horner working together would certainly be an intriguing dynamic, considering their past icy relationship. The duo were on opposing sides as Hamilton, then with Mercedes, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen battled it out for the drivers' title in 2021.
It was a riveting and bitter rivalry that led to confrontations both on and off the track. During the British Grand Prix that year, Hamilton and Verstappen had a high-speed collision, resulting in the Dutchman being flung into the barriers with a 51G impact.
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Hamilton was found to be at fault and received a 10-second penalty, yet still managed to win the race. An irate Horner felt the punishment didn't go far enough and openly criticised Hamilton, labelling it a "hollow victory."
He said: "He shouldn't be making manoeuvres like that. It is unacceptable. Thank goodness the biggest result for us today is that he is uninjured. I hope Lewis is very happy with himself."
Horner continued: "Lewis has more than enough experience to know that is unacceptable. I'm very disappointed that a driver of his calibre should make such a move. It's dangerous. For me, it's a hollow victory."
However, Hamilton maintained it was a racing incident as he hit back at Horner, saying: "I don't really have anything to say to Christian. The win doesn't feel hollow. I don't think I am in a position to have to apologise for anything."
In another jibe, Horner accused Hamilton of having a "selective memory" after the seven-time world champion pointed out Red Bull's dominance in 2023, when they won all but one race.
Horner referred to Hamilton's own dominances while at Mercedes, where he secured six drivers' titles in seven years. Speaking on the Eff Won with DRS podcast, he remarked: "I feel like he's got selective memory.
"So you know, some of the winning that they did in that period was just obscene. We've had a good run for a couple of years, but the one guy that shouldn't be saying that, I would think, is Lewis."
In the same year, Horner was adamant that there was no chance of Hamilton racing for Red Bull after alleging that Hamilton's father, Anthony, had approached him about a seat. In response, Lewis said: "No one from my team has reached out to him."
Horner then tried to clarify the situation by saying: "It's a question of he said, she said, who said, what said. It's entirely normal for drivers, drivers' representatives, drivers' parents to have different conversations during the course of a year.
"We haven't had any serious discussion with Lewis, there was never a seat available. I've known Anthony Hamilton for many years, he's a good guy, a proud racing father."
Referring to Hamilton's lack of victories since 2021, Horner pointedly added: "Inevitably, when drivers go through tough spots... Let's face it, Lewis hasn't won a Grand Prix for two years. Questions will be asked up and down the paddock. There was never any engagement."