Alonso was this close to joining Red Bull: 'Meeting with Horner and Newey'
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It's known that Fernando Alonso has held talks with Red Bull throughout his F1 career. Although he was conversing deeply with the Milton Keynes-based team, he decided not to join. Of course, the two-time world champion's career could've been VERY different if he bit the bullet in the past. Now, the Spaniard has discussed his previously concealed talks with Christian Horner and Adrian Newey.
Alonso: Red Bull deal was extremely close
A possible switch to Red Bull was first discussed in 2008. His tenure at McLaren had been full of controversy, and his relationship with young, upcoming star Lewis Hamilton wasn't going smoothly. Therefore, Alonso started looking for another team. He opted for a return to Renault, the team where he won his two world titles in 2005 and 2006. Later, the Spaniard switched to Ferrari. Even though Red Bull won four consecutive world constructors championships from 2010 to 2013, Alonso still doesn't regret his decision.
"I didn't think too much about that. Never. Not those years and not even now. I never regret anything. I know that some decisions in your Formula 1 career can change a lot of what you achieve, and what you cannot achieve. But I think when you make a decision, you take it fully committed to that and think that is the best decision. No one has a crystal ball to know what is going to happen in the future," explained the current Aston Martin driver. When Alonso moved to Aston Martin, it looked like he struck gold. He secured six podium finishes in the first eight races in 2023, tallying up 206 points. In 2024, he's had a miserable year in comparison. Just 62 points have been scored in 21 races.
"In 2008, I had a few moments that I could join Red Bull. One was when I left McLaren at the end of 2007. After that season, I find different possibilities. I met Adrian [Newey] and Christian [Horner] in Heathrow Airport for a meeting. And then 2008 was the closest. I remember perfectly, we were in a car park at Spa airport, the little airport on top of the hill. We were in that car park, sitting in the back seats, both of us at night, talking about the possibility," Alonso continued.
The reason why Alonso did not choose Red Bull:
In hindsight, it's easy to see why Alonso should've joined Red Bull. The Spaniard could've become a legend for the team. The 32-time Grand Prix winner however isn't bitter, pointing to former teammate Lewis Hamilton as an example. "When Lewis changed from McLaren to Mercedes, that first year in 2013 [there were] a lot of critics, ‘Why [have] you changed McLaren for a Mercedes that was only achieving one or two podiums until then?’ And now he’s a seven-time world champion.
"Now the same with Ferrari. You don't know what Lewis will achieve next year. If Ferrari does well and wins a championship, it's a great move. If Mercedes does well and they win a championship, it's a bad move. How you can predict that?" Alonso concludes. The 43-year-old will be driving with Aston Martin until the end of 2026.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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