Ex-Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers has slammed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as “unprofessional”, after leaking conversations he had with Lewis Hamilton.
Ahead of last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Horner bizarrely revealed to the Daily Mail that a representative of Hamilton’s contacted him earlier this season, to enquire about a possible switch to Red Bull.
This was immediately denied by Hamilton, who asked every member of his team if they spoke to the Red Bull boss.
It was later confirmed that Hamilton’s father, Anthony, spoke to Horner; however, he’s not been part of the seven-time World Champion’s management team since 2010.
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The only communication Hamilton has had with Horner himself, is when he sent a congratulatory message to Horner after discovering a message from the Red Bull boss on his old phone.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff criticised Horner for making it sound like Hamilton wanted to leave, whilst Albers noted that it was no way for a person in Horner’s position to behave.
“You know whether it happened or not, that is actually secretly not relevant at all,” Albers told De Telegraaf.
“What is relevant is the professionalism you have to exude as a team. If you have such a big team under your belt and you are team boss there with such good results, you don’t need this at all.”
Looking to the future, Albers wonders if Horner’s actions will stop drivers competing for a top team having discussions with the likes of Red Bull, in fear of it potentially being leaked.
The situation certainly hasn’t put Horner in a good light as he’s been less than “classy”, with Albers expecting other drivers to now “watch out”.
“I think it’s just not done. Long story short: I just find it very unprofessional,” insisted Albers.
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“You have to make sure you are classy and that this stays within the living rooms. You shouldn’t bring things like this out, because now other drivers do watch out, they will think twice if they are with a team like Ferrari or Mercedes or another top team and they start talking to another team.”
Given that Red Bull already have two drivers contracted for 2024, why Horner decided to share the story with the Daily Mail is a bit of a conundrum.
Some have pondered whether it was to gain some attention or to perhaps put more pressure on Mercedes to give Hamilton a better car.