Horner reveals Alonso was in negotiations with Red Bull at the start of 2024

Having completed his 400th F1 race at yesteday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Hornerhas revealed that the Milton Keynes-based outfit was in negotiations with the two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso on several occasions, including at the start ofn the current season.

Having kicked off his weekend in Mexico City with illness, Fernando Alonso is set to complete his 400th F1 race at today’s Mexico City Grand Prix. The Spaniard made his debut at the pinnacle of motorsport with Minardi in 2001 which was followed by a year that he spent with Renault as a test driver.

The Oviedo-born driver returned to the sport as a full-time race driver in 2003, clinching his first F1 victory in that season. With Renault coming up with an innovative car for the 2005 F1 season, Alonso secured his first F1 title, beating McLaren’s Kimi Räikkönen. The next season saw the Spaniard receive fierce competition from Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, but he was able to add a second F1 title to his achievements.

Although he joined McLaren in the following season, he returned to Renault for the 2008 and 2009 F1 season before heading to Ferrari. Despite securing several sensational victories with the fabled Maranello-based outfit and getting close to further F1 titles in 2010 and 2012, he elected to part ways with the team to join forces with McLaren again in 2015.

Following a difficult period at the Woking-based outfit that saw McLaren struggle with its new engine partner, Honda, Alonso decided to leave Formula One at the end of the 2018 season before returning to the pinnacle of motorsport with Alpine for the 2021 season. The two-time F1 world champion left the Enstone-based team after just a single season to join Aston Martin.

Asked about Alonso’s achievement in Formula One, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has revealed that Red Bull came close to sign the Spaniard on a couple of occasions.

“He’s a formidable competitor. At the end of his McLaren stint, the first one in 2008, I remember going to Madrid and pushing to get him in the car. We wanted to do a two-year deal, and he was only prepared to sign for one year.

“And we were convinced he had a Ferrari contract in his back pocket at that point. So we didn’t get to a deal. And had he come to us in 2009, maybe things could have looked slightly differently.

“And even halfway through the 2009 season, he was convinced if he got in our car, he could still win the championship that year. So that was that point. We then had a conversation… I remember meeting with him with Adrian in the back of a hire car at Spa Airport. I think that was around 2011, ‘11 or ’12, about coming across from Ferrari and then even as early as the beginning of this year.

“So it’s incredible the longevity that he’s had, the competitiveness that he has, and the statistics for the talent that he has and the ability he has. Two World Championships don’t do him justice. He should have won more than that,” noted Horner.