McLaren and Red Bull play down Hamilton switch talk

With the British Grand Prix just days away the spotlight is firmly on Lewis Hamilton as rumours about his future as a McLaren driver continue to swirl around the paddock. Yet in the build up to this weekend's race at Silverstone, both McLaren and potential suitors Red Bull have sought to downplay the likelihood that Hamilton will change teams this summer.

The former world champion is already almost 90 points off the pace in this season's Formula One driver's championship. Reprimanded by officials for dangerous manoeuvres and angered by McLaren's failure to produce a car that can compete with Red Bull, Hamilton is growing more visibly frustrated with every race – after Sebastian Vettel's won his sixth Grand Prix this season in Valencia last month, Hamilton said the championship was "almost over already."

But while Hamilton might be keen on a potential switch this summer, Red Bull might not actually want him, according to team principal Christian Horner.

"A Hamilton-Vettel combination, on paper, would look very attractive to any team," he said yesterday. "However, what we have to look at is the dynamics of any partnership like that and it's difficult to see how two sportsmen at the absolute top of their game could work in harmony under one roof."

To support his point, Horner turned to the past: "The dynamics within a team are so important. History demonstrates more often than not — whether you look at Prost and Senna, or Mansell and Piquet — that it doesn't tend to work. So our understanding is that Lewis is committed to McLaren next year."

Those words will no doubt reassure the McLaren team. But then, is McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh's interview with the Independent this week is to be believed, Hamilton's dedication has not been in question. "Lewis loves this team and he knows the car is capable of winning races," he said, dismissing the importance of a rumoured meeting between Hamilton and Red Bull's Christian Horner at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Whitmarsh continued: "He's sat with me here in the last 10 days and explained his passion, enthusiasm and desire to remain part of this team. I've known him since he was 11. I don't think he would look me in the eye and say that if he didn't mean it."

If dissuasion from both sides of the aisle isn't enough to put Hamilton off, perhaps the former world champions lining up to voice their opinions might tip the balance. Nigel Mansell said it could be a "mistake" to change, urging Hamilton not to underestimate having "the support of a team totally behind you”. Jacques Villeneuve made a similar point: "No way should he go... He's protected at McLaren. They love him there. They gave him his career, he should be thankful." ·