Photo by Ryosuke Yagi, licensed under CC BY 2.0. - Source: FLICKR
Photo by Ryosuke Yagi, licensed under CC BY 2.0. – And edited from FLICKR
Fernando Alonso to Red Bull: Why The Deal Collapsed
It is one of those long-running stories in the paddock, a conversation that resurfaced repeatedly over almost two decades yet never turned into a signed contract.
Fernando Alonso is known for bold career moves, the paths of him and Red Bull often crossed, but never connected.
However, the reasons vary depending on the year, the power dynamics, and the personalities involved.
But taken together paint a picture of two forces that admired each other from afar, yet ultimately remained incompatible.
The First Window: 2007–2008
The earliest and most serious attempt to bring Alonso to Red Bull came during one of the most turbulent periods of his career.
His difficult season with McLaren in 2007 left him searching for a fresh start, while Red Bull was still shaping its long-term identity.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko believed that signing a proven world champion could accelerate their project, and they made their interest known almost immediately.
Alonso, already a two time world champion in F1, driving for Renault team in 2005 and 2006.
Negotiations became serious enough that Red Bull offered a two-year contract.
They wanted someone who would stay long enough to build the team around, not just serve as a temporary star.
Alonso, however, had already set his sights on Ferrari and believed he was only one season away from joining Maranello.
He wanted a single-year deal, a short bridge to the red dream he had always envisioned.
Alonso, meanwhile, felt that taking a two-year gamble on a team that had never been a proven front-runner did not make sense when a Ferrari seat seemed so close.
IN the end, he chose to return to Renault, a familiar place where he could recalibrate without long-term obligations.
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When Red Bull Dominated, Fernando Alonso Stayed Loyal to Ferrari
In 2010, the landscape changed dramatically, the Austrian team became the dominant team of the era, winning four titles in a row with Sebastian Vettel.
Even though Red Bull had the best package, Alonso felt he could still win with Ferrari and did not want to abandon the fight.
From Red Bull’s perspective, there was also little appetite for disrupting the Vettel-Webber lineup, even with the tension that grew between the two drivers.
Red Bull invested heavily in their young driver programme and wanted to prove that their philosophy worked.
The Public Clash of 2018
The most dramatic chapter in this saga arrived in 2018, when Daniel Ricciardo shocked the paddock by leaving for Renault.
Suddenly, Red Bull had an empty seat for 2019, and attention immediately turned to Alonso once again. What followed was a public back-and-forth in which both sides insisted the other had initiated contact.
Alonso said that discussions took place but that he was not convinced the team could offer a competitive package, particularly because they were switching to Honda engines, the same Honda power units he had publicly criticized at McLaren.
Helmut Marko echoed the sentiment more bluntly, implying that Alonso was not a good fit for Red Bull’s culture.
Another Brief Window in 2024
Surprisingly, the story resurfaced yet again in 2024. Before Alonso renewed his contract with Aston Martin, his management team quietly explored the market, and Red Bull confirmed that initial discussions took place.
This time, however, nothing grew from those conversations. Red Bull was fully committed to Max Verstappen, and Alonso was looking for stability and a long-term project rather than a short-term role in a highly sensitive environment.
It was another case of timing working against both sides.
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Other Team That Wanted Alonso But Never Got Him
Red Bull was not the only team that tried to bring Alonso onboard and fell short. Mercedes considered him more than once, especially during moments of transition.
According to reports, Nico Rosberg retired in 2016 after becoming world champion, Mercedes contacted Fernando Alonso about possible deal.
Why It Never Happened
Across nearly twenty years of on-and-off conversations, the pattern is always the same: mismatched timing, mismatched expectations, and mismatched philosophies.
Alonso wanted flexibility, race-winning machinery, and complete commitment from the teams he joined. Red Bull wanted long-term harmony, youth development, and a driver who could fit into a carefully controlled system.
The respect between the two has always been real. But respect alone was never enough. In the end, the Alonso–Red Bull partnership became one of Formula 1’s great unanswered “what-ifs,” a deal that hovered in the shadows of the sport but never stepped into the spotlight.
