Before calling it quits on his F1 career in 2018, Fernando Alonso made a bold claim about Red Bull. The Spaniard revealed that the Austrian team approached him six times and he rejected them every time. Team boss Christian Horner refuted that claim, clarifying that they only approached Alonso once.
The two-time champion has now signed an extension with Aston Martin. Shortly after the announcement, the Silverstone-based outfit released a document with a one-line statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The document, letter headed with the Aston Martin F1 team’s logo, quoted Alonso – “I am here to stay”. But does the contract extension mean the Spaniard rejected Red Bull for the seventh time?
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) April 11, 2024
Fernando Alonso has been linked with a move to Red Bull for quite a while now. Sergio Perez is currently in his final year of the contract with the team.
While the Mexican is delivering consistent podium finishes now, his 2023 was far from satisfactory. As Christian Horner claimed to keep all his options open for the seat in 2025, Alonso’s name emerged as a candidate. Therefore, it is likely the two teams were in contact.
But what were those other six occasions the 42-year-old claims he rejected the current reigning champions? As per a 2018 Sky F1 report, Alonso claimed to have an offer from Red Bull in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2018 (beginning and towards the end of the season).
In 2007, Red Bull was too new an outfit for him to take a bet on, being a two-time champion. In 2009, Alonso claimed to already be in talks with Ferrari and only had four days to choose between Maranello and Milton Keynes.
Ultimately, he picked Ferrari. For the attempts made in 2011 and 2013, Alonso was never interested in leaving the Prancing Horse. Moreover, Mark Webber’s uncertain situation did not do any favors either.
Does Fernando Alonso regret not joining Red Bull?
Had Fernando Alonso signed a deal with Red Bull in 2009, he most likely would have more than two championships to his name. The Austrian outfit took maximum advantage of the incumbent regulations to bag four championships with Sebastian Vettel.
The era of dominance started in 2010 and lasted till 2013, before the advent of hybrid engine regulations. Alonso, however, does not regret not being in a Red Bull seat for that period either.
While he jokes a crystal ball could have influenced his decision, saying no to Ferrari was out of bounds. “Maybe if you had a crystal ball you’d change that opinion, but you would not say no to Ferrari in 2009,” he said.
One moment from 2023 I won’t forget is seeing Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton & Adrian Newey share a podium at the Canadian GP.
Four all-time greats. No telling if we ever see a podium like this again. pic.twitter.com/EbIn08xDxC
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) January 1, 2024
The Spaniard is quite content with Aston Martin though at the moment. The team gave him a car in 2023 that took him to podiums frequently.
They may be facing a slowdown in progress currently but clearly want to work in tandem to rise out of the slump. It has been more than a decade since Alonso last won a race. But clearly, he sees enough potential in Aston Martin to end that drought too.
