Christian Horner has revealed in his upcoming autobiography, Drive, that a “secret meeting” with Lewis Hamilton in 2012 raised the prospect of the Briton joining Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull.
Hamilton left McLaren at the end of 2012 for Mercedes, a decision questioned at the time but one that ultimately brought him six more world championships.
Horner’s account suggests Red Bull had a chance to change that history.
“Lewis Hamilton seemed to be losing heart at McLaren,” Horner wrote in his upcoming book.
“From the outside, his relationship with Jenson Button looked strained, and his head was dropping after a series of mechanical failures throughout 2012.
“I occasionally bumped into him at races, and we were always friendly (despite his comment about Red Bull being just a drinks company), but I thought he seemed strangely vulnerable for a former world champion.
"Then, while checking my phone for missed calls and messages one day, I noticed his father's number on the screen and wondered whether Lewis was experiencing a change of opinion regarding Red Bull.
"When a secret meeting was then called, with Lewis, at Adrian [Newey]'s house near Ascot, my gut instinct was confirmed. 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. Adrian, who is not known for his poker face, looked ecstatic. I could hardly blame him. A driver pairing of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton was a tantalising prospect.”
The possibility thrilled Newey and intrigued Horner, but it raised concerns for Helmut Marko, whose close relationship with Vettel made the prospect of bringing in a rival especially delicate.
The bigger obstacle, however, was the price.
Horner admitted that the prospect intrigued him, but the financial implications quickly threatened to derail the negotiations.
Hamilton’s commercial appeal was enormous for Red Bull, and his representative, Simon Fuller, made little effort to disguise the scale of the deal he envisaged.
"Certainly, Helmut looked unimpressed when he heard the news," Horner continued. "Lewis's arrival would likely impact Sebastian, his protégé, and he was clearly feeling apprehensive.
“Intrigued, I tested the waters anyway. Simon [Fuller] was known to be a softly spoken person, but his opening gambit caused my ears to ring. 'You and I can do the biggest sports deal since Muhammad Ali,' he said boldly.
“I laughed, having grown familiar with the sports-agent vernacular. 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. And I had a good idea of who that someone might be.
"Lewis had transformed into an iconic figure [by 2012], having won four races during his 2007 debut season with McLaren.
“Five years on, he was an elite racer known for his explosive pace, and arguably one of the competition's fastest ever drivers. He was the 2008 world champion, the winner of seventeen Grands Prix, and the holder of nineteen pole positions.
"As a driver, he was fantastic in the wet, fearless, and able to extract the absolute maximum from his car. He was also a commercial dream. Lewis was the face of countless billboard campaigns and TV adverts. Overall, he was just about the perfect challenger to Sebastian.
"Adrian, forever looking to improve the quality of drivers at Red Bull, was particularly enthusiastic. I couldn't blame him.
“Of course, the stumbling block was money. Any deal that brought Lewis to Red Bull would require staggering sums.”
Hamilton ultimately chose Mercedes, where he would build a dynasty before moving to Ferrari in 2025.
For Red Bull, the 2012 approach remains a tantalising what-if: Hamilton alongside Vettel, with Newey supplying the machinery and two future champions fighting for the same crown.
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