Just in: Lewis Hamilton and the shock Red Bull move that leaves F1 with regrets… See details 👇

Lewis Hamilton and the shock Red Bull move that leaves F1 with regrets

 

Lewis Hamilton has already driven for three of Formula 1’s biggest teams — McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari — but there is one giant missing from his résumé: Red Bull Racing.

 

And according to fresh reports, that omission could have been very different.

 

Hamilton reportedly wanted to join Red Bull during the team’s dominant era between 2010 and 2013. At the time, Sebastian Vettel was winning four consecutive world championships, while Red Bull dominated the Constructors’ Championship.

 

Hamilton was becoming increasingly frustrated with life at McLaren and, according to former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, he was keen on the possibility of joining the Milton Keynes outfit.

 

But Red Bull ultimately rejected the idea.

 

Horner later explained that having Hamilton and Vettel together would have created two “alpha” drivers in the same team. Instead, Red Bull retained Mark Webber alongside Vettel.

 

The decision would prove to be enormous for Formula 1.

 

Horner revealed that he actually encouraged Mercedes figurehead Niki Lauda to sign Hamilton. His thinking was that Hamilton would be less of a threat to Red Bull at Mercedes than he would have been at McLaren.

 

That decision spectacularly backfired.

 

Hamilton joined Mercedes for 2013, and from 2014 onward the partnership became one of the most successful in F1 history. Hamilton won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes between 2014 and 2020.

 

Red Bull, meanwhile, eventually turned its attention toward a young Max Verstappen following Vettel’s departure.

 

The Hamilton-Red Bull possibility resurfaced years later.

 

Horner claimed in 2023 that Hamilton’s representatives had again made enquiries about a potential Red Bull move, this time potentially putting Hamilton alongside Verstappen.

 

Hamilton disputed that version of events, saying he was unaware of anyone from his team approaching Red Bull. He suggested instead that Red Bull had attempted to contact him.

 

That second opportunity also disappeared.

 

Hamilton is now a Ferrari driver, and the latest report argues that a Hamilton-Red Bull partnership is increasingly unlikely to ever happen.

 

The timing makes the missed opportunity even more fascinating. Imagine Hamilton and Vettel fighting for championships as teammates. Imagine Hamilton eventually sharing a Red Bull garage with Verstappen. Either scenario could have completely rewritten the modern history of Formula 1.

 

There is also an intriguing twist to the story.

 

Hamilton’s current 2026 campaign has shown that Ferrari can still fight near the front. He has already taken his first Grand Prix victory for the Scuderia in Barcelona, while currently sitting second in the championship according to the latest standings reported by GPFans.

 

So this is not a story about Hamilton regretting Ferrari or preparing to join Red Bull.

 

It is a story about what might have been.

 

Red Bull had the opportunity to put one of the greatest drivers in history into one of its championship-winning cars — twice. On the first occasion, Horner’s decision helped send Hamilton toward Mercedes, where he built a historic legacy.

 

For F1 fans, that may ultimately be the biggest regret of all: Hamilton and Red Bull were close to becoming one of the sport’s most formidable combinations, but it never happened.