{"id":299508,"date":"2023-12-07T10:25:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T10:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=299508"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:25:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T10:25:21","slug":"lewis-hamilton-saga-rumbles-on-as-f1-drivers-always-break-contract-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/racing\/f1\/lewis-hamilton-saga-rumbles-on-as-f1-drivers-always-break-contract-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton saga rumbles on as F1 drivers ‘always break contract rules’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jacques Villeneuve has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s alleged approach to Red Bull by insisting that drivers speaking to other teams while under contract is nothing new. A media storm took hold during the build-up to last month’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Christian Horner said that discussions with Hamilton’s camp took place earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Horner claimed that a member of Hamilton’s team had reached out to enquire about a move to Red Bull before the 38-year-old signed a new deal with Mercedes. Hamilton was quick to dismiss the claims, though, saying that Horner was the one who reached out to him to propose an end-of-season meeting.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear if Hamilton actually did instruct one of his team members to open talks with Red Bull, but Villeneuve believes that his denial was par for the course for a driver who does not want his private matters brought into the public sphere.<\/p>\n

“It gets a lot of print,” Villeneuve told PlanetF1 when quizzed on the topic. “As a driver, you\u2019re not allowed to talk to other teams while you\u2019re under contract and all that, but talks always happen.<\/p>\n

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“Obviously, you cross people in the paddock or, sometimes, you\u2019ll use someone who doesn\u2019t work for you, but will still do the talk so you\u2019re protected. But, if the noise comes out, you have to negate it. Then who\u2019s there to check?”<\/p>\n

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was left angered by Horner’s claims, which reignited hostilities between the two rival bosses ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The pair have rarely seen eye-to-eye over the years but Villeneuve is adamant that their rivalry has brought the best out of both parties during their time in F1.<\/p>\n