Fernando Alonso’s future in Formula 1 is still open and various rumors have already linked him to three teams, in addition to Alpine. Christian Horner has spoken about the craziest of them all.
The interest of Red Bull Racing in Fernando Alonso there seems to be no end if we trust the rumors that have been feeding in Formula 1 for years.
And it is true that the Anglo-Austrian formation was very interested in signing him years ago, especially during the time after the first stage of the Spanish in McLaren.
«Flavio Briatore is a friend and I talk to him from time to time»
But time passes and 40 years of Fernando Alonso They represent a burden for many teams, who prefer to bet on long-term projects with young drivers or with many years of experience in Formula 1 still ahead.
This has been expressed by leading teams such as Mercedes on repeated occasions and the facts have only corroborated this philosophy, since first Valtteri Bottas and then George Russell have been the lucky ones with an opportunity in the best team on the grid in recent years.
Red Bull opens the door
The Red Bull team has done the same for many years, always betting on pilots with projection from their own quarry. once settled Max Verstappen as Team LeaderPierre Gasly and Alexander Albon were chosen to accompany the Dutchman.
However, something changed in 2021, because this formula was not being successful. The need to have a reliable and competitive pair of drivers made Red Bull open the door to a driver outside their program of young pilots.
And he looked at an experienced driver in his 30s who had never been linked to Red Bull before: Sergio Perez. After an acceptable first season, although also improvable, the Mexican has started 2022 in great shape and everything seems to indicate that the Anglo-Austrian team will renew his contract.
But rumors about a possible Red Bull interest in Fernando Alonso have grown in recent weeks and Christian Horner was asked about it in Sky F1.
“It is new for me! Fernando is a great pilot. It’s great that he’s still in Formula 1 and that at over 40 it gives him something to look forward to, but it doesn’t fit into our plans.”was his forceful response to such a rumor.
«I speak with Flavio (Briatore, Alonso’s representative); he’s a friend and I talk to him from time to time, but no. We are very focused on our drivers at the moment and Checo has been doing a great job this year”expanded the director of Red Bull Racing.
“If we made the decision now, I would be refreshed, but I think around the summer holidays will be the obvious time to make a decision. That’s about halfway through the season and we’ll have completed a lot of races by then,” he concluded.
Alonso and Aston Martin
Therefore, it seems clear that Fernando Alonso will renew his contract with Alpine and Sergio Pérez will do the same with Red Bull.
Or will the Spaniard be won over by Aston Martin, a team that has already shown interest in the two-time world champion as replacement for Sebastian Vettel? The British formation could also be very appealing.
Not just because of the fact that Aston-Martin is an official team with a remarkable expansion of its Silverstone factory underway and the ambition to win titles. Also because it has become Audi’s first choice to enter Formula 1 in 2026.
We will have to keep track of this rumor, which will surely gain weight in the coming months.
Source:
Sky Sports
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team