Horner: 'Pity we have to wait for Ferrari and Hamilton'

During Red Bull's launch of the RB20, Team Principal Christian Horner was asked twice in front of media including RacingNews365 about the implications for the Milton Keynes-based side of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari.

Hamilton is departing Mercedes at the end of 2024 to complete a sensational move to Ferrari, where he'll partner Charles Leclerc for at least two seasons after signing a multi-year deal.

His switch to Maranello will bring an end to his relationship with Mercedes-Benz, which first started when he was 13 years old.

The seven-time World Champion and the German manufacturer are the most successful partnership in the history of F1, with Hamilton having won 82 races and clinched six Drivers' Championships for the outfit.

Horner left the question of whether the attractive Ferrari/Hamilton partnership could trigger an exodus of Red Bull personnel completely unanswered.

The question of whether it might benefit Red Bull and Max Verstappen, though, he admitted was "hard to say."

Despite the implications for Red Bull, Horner does think Hamilton's transfer to Ferrari is a positive for the pinnacle of motorsport, with it just being a shame that it won't happen until 2025.

"The timing of the news is quite unusual and it will have surprised a lot of people, including perhaps his current employer," Horner said.

"But Lewis never shied away from bold choices. He previously switched from McLaren to Mercedes, a team not very highly regarded at the time, but it turned out to be the right choice.

"It is clear to me that he has seen something at Ferrari, that makes him think he is better off there than where he is now. I think it's great for Formula 1 to see Ferrari and Hamilton joining forces. It's just a shame that we have to wait until 2025."