Christian Horner has disclosed that he had exploratory talks with Fernando Alonso earlier this year about a potential switch to Red Bull for the 2025 Formula One season before deciding to re-sign Sergio Perez.
It comes after Alonso claimed this week that he had pondered switching to Red Bull on two previous occasions.
Christian Horner: This year, Fernando Alonso held conversations about Red Bull F1 2025.
Alonso, the most experienced driver in the sport’s history, will make his 400th outing at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. He debuted in 2001.
The current Aston Martin driver is one of the most successful of his generation, having won two World Championships and 32 race victories.
However, Alonso has not added to his title total since 2006, and he has not won a race since his penultimate year with Ferrari in 2013, prompting many pundits to question his career decisions.
Alonso stated on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast last week that he had two previous attempts to join Red Bull.
Alonso stated that he initially spoke with Red Bull after leaving McLaren at the end of 2007, when he saw Horner and Adrian Newey at Heathrow airport before returning to Renault.
The second opportunity, he claimed, occurred after the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, when he met with Newey in the backseat of a car at Spa airport under cover of darkness.
Alonso later joined Ferrari, while Red Bull signed Sebastian Vettel, who won the title by four and three points respectively in 2010 and 2012.
Alonso said he does not regret passing up the opportunity to join Red Bull, arguing “it was not totally guaranteed” at the time that the team would emerge as a title-winning power in F1.
Horner paid respect to the two-time World Champion in Mexico, stating that Red Bull’s talks with Alonso had broken due to the driver’s insistence on a short-term contract for 2008.
And he said that earlier this year, the two sides discussed a deal for F1 2025 until Alonso decided to sign a new contract with Aston Martin until at least the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Horner informed the media, including PlanetF1.com, that “he’s a formidable competitor.”
“At the end of his first McLaren tenure, in 2008, I recall going to Madrid and pushing to get him in the vehicle.
“We sought a two-year contract, but he was only willing to commit for one year. We were confident he had a Ferrari contract in his back pocket at the time, therefore we did not reach an agreement.
“Had he came to us in 2009, things might have turned out differently.
“And even halfway through the 2009 season, he believed that if he got in our vehicle, he might still win the title that year. So, that was the objective.
“We then had a talk, and I recall meeting with him and Adrian in the back of a hire car at Spa airport – I believe it was around 2011, ’11 or ’12 – about going across from Ferrari. And even as early as the start of this year.
“So it’s astonishing how long he’s been around, how competitive he is, and the numbers for his aptitude and abilities.
“Two World Championships do not do him justice.” “He should have won more.”
When asked about his negotiations with Alonso earlier this year, Horner stated that the Aston Martin driver and his management, Flavio Briatore, were “testing the market” before Red Bull offered Perez a new two-year contract.
Alonso was briefly linked with a move to Red Bull in the spring when worries about Max Verstappen’s future arose, declaring during the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka that he had a “feeling” Verstappen would continue in F1 until 2025.
His new Aston Martin contract was finalised seven days later.
Horner explained: “At the time, Sergio’s contract had not been extended.
“As a seasoned operator, Fernando is always interested in learning about all of his possibilities, and he and his long-time manager or adviser, Flavio, are constantly testing the market.
“It simply shows how hungry and competitive he is, and he is still delivering at the age of 43.
“He’s still in great shape, which demonstrates that age is just a number.” He’s still a very talented grand prix driver, and with the right equipment, I’m confident he’d be at the front.”
Recollections appear to differ on the exact timeframe of Alonso’s backseat encounter with Red Bull’s hierarchy at Spa Airport, with Newey saying last year that it took place at the 2013 race when Alonso was driving for Ferrari.
When told he was talking a deal with Alonso in a car at Spa airport following the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix, Newey, who will ultimately team up with the Spaniard at Aston Martin next season, told the BBC: “You have a good memory.”
“That’s a regret that that never happened because I have a tremendous respect for Fernando.”
If Newey’s account is correct, his meeting with Alonso occurred just weeks after the two-time World Champion publicly expressed a desire to leave Ferrari for the first time, stating after the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix that he would like “someone else’s car” as a present for his 32nd birthday.
That comment drew a criticism from then-Ferrari president Luca di Montzemolo, prompting the Scuderia to issue an unprecedented statement on the subject.
It read: “There is a need to close ranks, without succumbing to impulsive outbursts that, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of a disastrous outcome, are useless to anyone.
“That was a reference to Fernando Alonso’s recent comments, which did not sit well with Montezemolo or anyone else on the squad.
“When Montezemolo called the Spaniard this morning to wish him a happy birthday, he also reminded him that: ‘All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the team’s interests ahead of their own.
“‘This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.'”
Alonso’s exit from Ferrari was confirmed at the end of the next season, with the Spaniard suffering a catastrophic three-year stint with McLaren-Honda until taking a break at the end of the 2018 season.
He returned to Formula One with Alpine at the start of 2021 before joining Aston Martin last year.
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