Fernando Alonso made one other try to hitch world champions Crimson Bull earlier this 12 months, staff principal Christian Horner has revealed.
The 2 occasions world champion contacted the staff through his consultant Flavio Briatore, who can be a marketing consultant for Alpine. A deal might have seen him be a part of Max Verstappen, who has a long-term deal to drive for Crimson Bull.
Horner confirmed Alonso made the strategy earlier than the staff prolonged the contract of Verstappen’s present staff mate Sergio Perez. “Fernando is a seasoned operator, he all the time needs to know all of his choices, and between him and his supervisor or advisor of a few years, Flavio, they’re all the time testing the market,” mentioned Horner.
Alonso, who’s making his four-hundredth look in a grand prix weekend in Mexico, subsequently signed a brand new deal to stay at Aston Martin till no less than 2026. The staff just lately employed Crimson Bull’s star designer Adrian Newey, who will start work for them subsequent 12 months.
Horner mentioned Alonso’s curiosity in becoming a member of the world champions “simply exhibits how hungry and aggressive he’s.”
“He’s nonetheless delivering at [43] years of age. He’s nonetheless in nice form and it simply exhibits that age is only a quantity. He’s nonetheless a really, very succesful grand prix driver and given the instruments, I’m certain he’d be on the entrance.”
Alonso turned down a possibility to hitch Crimson Bull after returning to Renault from McLaren in 2008. “On the finish of his McLaren stint, the primary one in 2008, I bear in mind going to Madrid and pushing to get him within the automobile,” Horner defined.
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“We needed to do a two-year deal, and he was solely ready to signal for one 12 months. And we have been satisfied he had a Ferrari contract in his again pocket at that time. So we didn’t get to a deal.”
Since then Crimson Bull have received the constructors’ championship six occasions and brought Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen to the drivers’ title on a complete of seven events.
“Had he come to us in 2009, possibly issues might have regarded barely totally different,” mentioned Horner. “Even midway by means of the 2009 season, he was satisfied if he obtained in our automobile, he might nonetheless win the championship that 12 months. In order that was that time we then had a dialog.”
One other missed alternative for Alonso to hitch Crimson Bull got here a number of years later, after Vettel beat him to the 2010 world championship. “I bear in mind assembly with him with Adrian behind a rent automobile at Spa airport, I feel that was round 2011 – ‘11 or ’12 – about coming throughout from Ferrari, after which at the same time as early as the start of this 12 months.
“So it’s unimaginable the longevity that he’s had, the competitiveness that he has, and the statistics for the expertise that he has and the power he has. Two world championships don’t do him justice. He ought to have received greater than that.”
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