Shock claim that Lewis Hamilton “tried” to go to Red Bull but “was told no”

Lewis Hamilton enquired about a move to Red Bull but was knocked back, according to respected F1 reporter Mark Hughes.

Even more remarkably, he insists that Fernando Alonso also tried to grab a Red Bull drive for himself but was also denied by F1’s dominant team.

Hughes was responding to a fan on social media who claimed: “In the last 12 months the likes of Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton and Alonso all refused a seat to Red Bull in the best car because they were all scared of Max Verstappen.”

He responded by dropping some remarkable insight: “That’s just plain untrue.

“Neither Leclerc, Hamilton nor Alonso were offered a place.

“Hamilton and Alonso both tried and were told no.”

Hamilton and Alonso have now signed long-term deals for 2025 with Ferrari and Aston Martin respectively.

The unconfirmed claim that Hamilton asked about a move to Red Bull is interesting because Christian Horner made similar remarks last year.

Anthony Hamilton, the star driver’s father, made contact with Horner, a Red Bull spokesperson told BBC last November.

However, Hamilton’s father is not officially involved in his son’s career from a management perspective.

At the time, last year, Hamilton denied enquiring about a move to Red Bull and insisted that contact was initiated by Horner.

Months later, Hamilton announced he would activate a break clause in his new Mercedes contract and go to Ferrari in 2025.

Alonso, meanwhile, was heavily linked to a move to Red Bull for next year.

But Sergio Perez’s early season form - where he has claimed three P2 grand prix finishes behind teammate Max Verstappen - has given Red Bull some dream results.

Perez’s contract is expiring and his future is uncertain, but Alonso removed himself from the equation by extending his stay at Aston Martin.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc penned multi-year deals to stay with their teams into 2025 and beyond, at the start of this year.