Christian Horner has claimed that Lewis Hamilton held a “secret meeting” with Red Bull in 2012 about joining the team prior to his move to Mercedes.

After making his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007 and winning the world championship in 2008, Hamilton left the team at the end of the 2012 season to join Mercedes.

But when exploring moves away from McLaren, it was Red Bull that was Hamilton’s “preferred destination,” according to Horner, Red Bull’s then-team principal.

In his new memoir, “Drive,” Horner wrote that after receiving a call from Hamilton’s father, Anthony, the British driver joined for a conversation about a potential move to Red Bull at the house of Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s technical chief.

“When a secret meeting was then called, with Lewis, at Adrian’s house near Ascot, my gut instinct was confirmed,” Horner wrote. “He was looking to leave McLaren, and we were his preferred destination.

“‘What will it take to join you guys?’ he said, as we sat down.”

Horner said that Newey “looked ecstatic” in the meeting, and that the prospect of pairing Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton as teammates was “a tantalizing prospect.”

Red Bull’s motorsport advisor at the time, Helmut Marko, “looked unimpressed when he heard the news,” according to Horner. “Lewis’s arrival would likely impact Sebastian, his protege, and he was clearly feeling apprehensive. Intrigued, I tested the waters anyway.”

But Horner wrote that “the stumbling block was money,” as any deal to bring Hamilton to Red Bull would have required “staggering sums.” He noted that Hamilton was being represented at this time by Simon Fuller, the music agent who had moved into sport and also had David Beckham on his books.

“Simon was going to make a lot of money. And Red Bull would have to spend a fortune. Despite the undeniable marketing upside, I didn’t pursue the idea with any real forcefulness. But the Lewis deal was going to appeal to someone.”

Officially, US Dept. of State says they're withdrawing personnel only from Saudi Arabia. NBC, however, reports the US is evacuating personnel from multiple sites in the Middle East, including Qatar and the UAE. In any case, the situation has deteriorated over the past couple of weeks, and airlines are cutting flights to the region. I wonder how the teams are handling this and how much disturbance in the area would be deemed acceptable. Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-troops-diplomats-evacuating-middle-east-posts-sources-say-rcna604867

I'll add Austin after Sunday. Happy to search for other words if you have ideas.

Also mentioned in the article that they are expanding their partnership with Lawson... Indicator he's signed for 2027?

Credit to StriderHiryoo

Via TrackSimsF1

Carlos Sainz's "Smooth Operator" lounge will return to the 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix as MGM Resorts unveils a range of F1-themed events

Kimi and George trying on boots and hats and AMGs for the cameras today on SoCo. Zoom in on Kimi’s boots!

Teams started using different wheels for qualy and race to control tyre temp. FIA was afraid of this leading to a spending war and has nipped it in the bud by not allowing different wheel designs during a weekend. Once one type of wheels is fitted on the car and said car has left the pits, it cannot be changed any more.

We seem to be seeing this more often, FIA not allowing things because they dont want a spending war inspite of having the costcap.

All happened thanks to the extended FP2 for Pirelli tire testing (which is why it hasn't happened again at COTA since)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DewzfsDM7jq/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DewybIHjT8N/

Was out at the Pearl in San Antonio today and walked up on the premier of the Glenfiddich partnership with Aston Martin at the hotel Emma