Page last updated at 11:18 GMT, Saturday, 25 June 2011 12:18 UK
Hamilton unrepentant after Canada criticism
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has played down the chances of Lewis Hamilton joining the team.
Speculation has been raging about the McLaren driver's future since he had an impromptu meeting with Horner at the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Horner said: "Lewis is a great driver. He's a McLaren driver so it's not even something we're thinking about."
He suggested that partnering Hamilton with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel could risk intra-team harmony.
Horner, who was speaking to BBC Sport, said: "I think [a partnership between Hamilton and Vettel] would be interesting.
"They're two of the best guys in the world but sometimes, as a team, you've got to look beyond what looks most attractive on paper. It's all about harmony and about the team at the end of the day."
Those remarks echo some made by Horner two months ago, when a link between Hamilton and Red Bull last came up.
The issue has been a hot talking point in F1 since Hamilton walked over to the Red Bull area in the paddock in Montreal and asked to see Horner.
They spent 15 minutes talking, although neither man will reveal what they discussed.
When asked by BBC Radio 5 Live commentator David Croft what he thought when he saw Hamilton turn up at the Red Bull garage, the Red Bull boss replied: "I thought he wanted a Red Bull."
Croft then asked: "A can or a car?" to which Horner replied: "Probably both".
The meeting happened after Hamilton had qualified fifth at a track where he expected to be able to challenge Red Bull, while Vettel took his sixth pole in seven races.
The German, the reigning champion, is dominating this year's championship, with five wins in seven races. Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button have one win each.
Hamilton has subsequently played down the importance of the meeting, saying he has no reason to leave McLaren "as long as we have the car that can do the job".
On Saturday at the European Grand Prix, Horner said: "It was an impromptu visit. In the middle of the paddock is probably not the most discreet place but it was nice to see him."
He added: "We're very happy with the two drivers who we've got. We've got the reigning world champion in Sebastian Vettel who is doing another fantastic job and then we've got Mark Webber who is driving phenomenally well. So why would we want to change that?"
Asked whether he thinks Hamilton wants to leave McLaren in the long term, Horner said: "He's been there since he was almost out of nappies. It's a question you'd have to ask him.
"Of course every driver would like to be driving a Red Bull car at the moment but that's only normal when we've had the kind of performance that we've enjoyed over the last few years."
Hamilton has a contract with McLaren until the end of 2012, although if a driver wants to leave a team they cannot stop him.
Vettel is under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2014, while Webber's deal runs out at the end of this season.
Credit: BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)
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