
Lewis Hamilton admits Red Bull regret amid Max Verstappen to Mercedes talks
Lewis Hamilton said he is "interested" to see whether Max Verstappen joins his former team Mercedes. And the Brit also admitted a past regret he has about a comment he once made about Red Bull during his hugely successful spell with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton won six drivers' championships and eight teams' titles with Mercedes during one of the most dominant eras in Formula 1 history. That run was ended by Verstappen and Red Bull who took over as the all-conquering force on the grid.
Of course, that led to both drivers and teams becoming bitter rivals on track, particularly during that tightly-fought 2021 season. And Hamilton referred to that period on Thursday when he was asked during his session with the written media at Silverstone for his take on the rumours linking Verstappen with Mercedes.
Asked if he would recommend the team to his former rival, Hamilton replied: "Of course." But he went on to make it clear he also believes he would be leaving "a great team" too, despite having made a derogatory comment about Red Bull in the past.
Hamilton said: "He's coming from a great team. I think many, many years ago I was being asked something about, I can't remember, I think I was just so diehard like Mercedes at the time, and I remember saying something about Red Bull being only a drinks company, and I always regretted it. I was just saying that at Mercedes at the time. I was really just trying to gee-up my team.
"But the truth is, Red Bull are an incredible team. There's so many people there that are exceptional, and they've dominated for years. But what I can say, if anyone was going to ask me about Mercedes, it's an amazing team also. Naturally, the passion, they've got great personnel, it's a great factory, great environment to work in. So of course I would say, I'd be interested to see what happens."
Hamilton is the defending Silverstone champion having ended a 945-day wait for a race win at this event last year. He is hoping for another magical weekend this time around but admits he's probably going to need some help from the weather, otherwise he can't see past another victory for runaway standings leaders McLaren.
He said: "I'm hoping and praying, yes. There's always magic here in Silverstone, so I don't really have to hope for that in the sense of the crowd is incredible, it's very, very, very special place and it always provides a special race. So, but I'm hoping that the weather and all sorts of things can help us, because we obviously naturally not as quick as McLaren. So if it just stays dry then they'll just walk the race."
And he hopes to once again benefit from a boost given by a 500,000 strong weekends crowd, adding: "I don't really know what to expect this weekend. At the moment, Thursday is the same as always, it's the least enjoyable day of the week. And this always is the case. You just want to be in the car. Can't wait for Friday to come. I'm sure, I don't know what to expect tomorrow.
"I'm sure driving on track for the first time in a red car in Silverstone is going to be unique and special in its own way and then seeing the crowd, we have the best fans here at the British Grand Prix. And for a British driver, they really, really do make a difference. I think I've shown that to you time and time again. So, I hope this weekend they can really make a difference for us as well."

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Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton got told Toto Wolff was 'fed up' with him before leaving Mercedes
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Meet the glamorous Formula One WAGs gearing up to cheer on their men at Silverstone: The daughter of a controversial three-time champion, a TikTok fashion sensation - and a professional golfer who met her beau after bingeing Drive to Survive
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In 2018, she opened up about her strategy for success throughout the Q-Series - not paying attention to her ranking during or after any of the final stage of the LPGA's qualifying tournament. She told as reported by NBC Sports: 'I didn't know I made it until everyone started congratulating when we were all done. 'It's the first time I've ever done that, not look where I stand on the leaderboard.' However, she admitted halfway through, her father accidentally let her know her place on the leaderboard. She and Alex started dating in 2019, after Lily watched a Netflix documentary on F1. 'I was in a slump. I was in a really bad place mentally. It was my rookie year and I wasn't playing well at all. A friend of mine convinced me to watch a (Formula One) documentary on Netflix called Drive to Survive'. They said, "I think you'd really like it. It helps you to see another perspective of a sport that's under so much pressure", she told Golf Week in 2021. 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Donaldson has appeared on the covers of high-end fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire since winning a beauty pageant aged 17, when she was a student at the prestigious Perth Academy, dreaming of breaking into the fashion industry. 'My mum entered me and I was really surprised when I found out,' she said at the time. 'I am really excited to have won and am really looking forward to entering the Top Model UK competition.' Rebecca was first linked to Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick when the pair attended the premiere of a new series of the show in 2022. They dated for two months before splitting up in June of that year. Donaldson has appeared on the covers of high-end fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire since winning a beauty pageant aged 17, when she was a student at the prestigious Perth Academy, dreaming of breaking into the fashion industry. Pictured with Carlos in June 2024 She founded the activewear fashion label Muse in 2020 during the pandemic, explaining: 'I knew I wanted to create something that not only I would wear and be proud of putting my name against, but also something that was missing from the market.' The couple were first seen out together in Milan in June 2023, then fans started to think they were an item when they appeared at a golf course in Amsterdam in late August. One of Sainz's sisters began following her on Instagram, adding fuel to speculation about a romance, before Donaldson took to the catwalk at Madrid Fashion Week last month in front of members of the driver's family. While the pair haven't posted any shots of them together on their social media, they do comment on each other's posts regularly. Lily Zneimer Dating Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri, 23, enjoyed an impressive debut season on the grid in two years ago as he racked up 97 points and secured a creditable ninth-place finish in the drivers' standings. The Australian's private life has generally been kept quiet since he came into the F1 world, but he has shared snaps with childhood sweetheart Lily Zneimer on social media. In their most recent snap together, the pair could be seen on a trip to Japan. The pair met at school and have been dating for nearly five years, with Zneimer regularly supporting the Australian at events. She is reportedly still a student and the pair were also pictured together at the Autosport Awards. Lando Norris Margarida Corceiro After Lando split from Luisinha Oliveira in 2022, he has been enjoying a lowkey romance with Portuguese model and actress, Margaradia Corceiro. The pair were first seen together in May 2023 in a video on social media showing the 25-year-old driving his Fiat Jolly with her in the back of the classic car after she split from Barcelona star Joao Felix. They were later spotted together at the Monte Carlo Masters last April but have predominantly kept their on-off relationship out of the spotlight. Margarida is no stranger to flaunting her figure in scantily clad bikini snaps, sharing images from her trip to The Maldives. The McLaren star - who had held the record for most podiums without a race win - ended his barren run by beating triple world champion Max Verstappen to victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May 2024. Corceiro has appeared on a number of Portuguese television shows and as per Portuguese outlet Maria, was a contestant in the country's version of Dancing with the Stars back in 2020. Norris and Corceiro continued to attend events together throughout much of last year before reports claimed that the pair had ended their short-term relationship. Confirming the news ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Norris coolly stated on-stage amidst a packed crowd after being asked if he would like a dog: 'If I do I need a girlfriend, and I don't have one.' However, it appeared the pair have rekindled their romance after Corceiro was spotted by TV cameras during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Flavy Barla Dating Esteban Ocon Haas driver Esteban Ocon went public with his relationship with influencer Flavy Barla in 2023 Barla, a 22-year-old medical student and compatriot of Ocon, has amassed a large social media following Haas driver Esteban Ocon went public with his relationship with influencer Flavy Barla in 2023 following the breakdown of his five-year partnership with Italian model Elena Berri. Barla, a 22-year-old medical student and compatriot of Ocon, has amassed a large social media following in addition to appearances in several beauty pagents. The French stunner won the coveted Miss Cote d'Azur in 2022 and finished as fifth runner-up in the 2023 Miss France contest. Barla has made a few appearances at Grand Prix to support her beau, with her first coming during the 2023 season finale in Abu Dhabi after she and Ocon were spotted in the paddock together.


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Lando Norris made feelings clear at British GP as Lewis Hamilton questioned him
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will be doing battle at Silverstone yet again, one year after the now Ferrari driver questioned the McLaren ace following his victory for Mercedes Much has changed since Lewis Hamilton questioned Lando Norris' decision-making at last year's British Grand Prix. July 2024 was a historic occasion for Hamilton, as he shocked the F1 world by roaring to victory at Silverstone for the ninth time. It was Hamilton's first GP triumph since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. While the story of the wet and rainy weekend was centred around the seven-time F1 world champion, Norris' decision to turn down new medium ties and persist with his soft tires was also a huge talking point. While Hamilton held onto his lead to win the GP, Max Verstappen managed to overtake the McLaren ace and take P2. After the race, Norris held his hands up and said that he made the wrong decision. To make matters worse, Hamilton approached his fellow Brit and told him to his face that he made the wrong choice. While in the cooldown room, Hamilton asked: "[Were] you on soft as well?" When Norris confirmed that he was, Hamilton replied: "But you had two new mediums," before adding: "Yeah, you could have gone to the medium. A new medium would have been faster probably.' In the final stint of the race when the track was getting drier, Verstappen chose to use hard tires. At the time, Hamilton and Norris were both using softs, except the McLaren ace could have moved onto mediums. While Hamilton was able to persevere and hold onto first position, Norris' tires were no match for Verstappen's extra pace and acceleration, something the McLaren ace publicly admitted at the end of the GP. He said: "That crucial decision at the end he just did a better job. Hats off to him and Mercedes so they deserve it. It was tough. It was enjoyable, it was fun battling these guys. "These tricky conditions are always on a knife edge and you're risking a lot. So many things good, but a few too many let-downs today and as a team I don't think we quite did the job we should have done, or good enough, but still lovely to be on the podium here at Silverstone. "I'm not making the right decisions. I blame myself today for not making some of the right decisions. I hate it, I hate ending in this position and ever having excuses for not doing a good enough job. We'll come back stronger here next year and try again." Norris will have the opportunity to avenge this disappointment at Silverstone. He will be one of the favourites heading into the British GP. At present, the Bristolian is close on the coat tails of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who has a 15-point lead. With Verstappen trailing the Brit by 46-points, this year's battle appears to be a two-horse race. However, a confident Hamilton may be eyeing his favourite GP as an opportunity to not only get onto the podium on a Sunday GP for the first time at Ferrari, but to also win it. At the Austrian GP, Hamilton finished fourth, his joint-best GP finish with the Scuderia. Hamilton was confident speaking to reporters on the eve of the action at Silverstone. The 40-year-old said: "I'm just hoping for a strong weekend. I've not had a podium yet, this would be a really special place in order to have that so I'm really counting on the amazing support we have here to hopefully make the difference."