Lewis Hamilton names Red Bull F1 regret he's 'always' had ahead of British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton revealed he regrets a comment he once made about Red Bull while at Mercedes, as he was asked about the prospect of Max Verstappen making the switch to his former team. The British driver secured six Drivers' Championships and eight Constructors' Championships with Mercedes throughout one of F1's most commanding periods.

That dominance was brought to an end by Verstappen and Red Bull, who assumed control as the sport's supreme force. Naturally, this transformed both drivers and teams into fierce rivals on track, especially during the intensely contested 2021 campaign. Hamilton referenced that era on Thursday when questioned during his media session at Silverstone about speculation linking Verstappen with Mercedes.

When asked whether he would endorse the team to his former competitor, Hamilton responded: "Of course." However, he proceeded to clarify that he also believes he would be departing "a great team" as well, despite having previously made a disparaging remark about Red Bull.

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."

As the reigning Silverstone champion, having snapped a 945-day drought with a win at last year's race, Hamilton is eyeing another spectacular weekend having yet to finish on the podium as a Ferrari driver. However, he concedes that he might need a bit of assistance from the weather to triumph.

He revealed: "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."

"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."