Fernando Alonso has been racing in Formula 1 for a very long time as he has raced with multiple constructors. The Asturian driver had made his mark after winning two championships and was considered for some highly sought-after teams. Amidst this, Red Bull also previously held a ‘secret’ meeting with Alonso to discuss a potential move to the team back in 2008.
Red Bull’s inception with Formula 1 in the 2005 season meant that Milton Keynes was fairly new at the time. Moreover, Milton Keynes only found success in the 2010 season after acquiring Adrian Newey in 2006 and switching to Renault engines in 2017. Fernando Alonso recalled the fact that he had a chance to join the team back then but decided not to for multiple reasons.
Alonso revealed that he held a ‘secret meeting’ with Red Bull’s boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko. The top spots at Red Bull held the meeting at Heathrow Airport without many people being aware of it. The Asturian recounted that the three of them talked about the possibility of the former joining Red Bull. However, the move didn’t happen primarily because the 43-year-old was close to Ferrari at the time.
I met Adrian and Christian at Heathrow Airport for a meeting. We were sitting in the back seat, both at night, talking about the possibility. I was very close to Ferrari at the time.
Fernando Alonso told formule1.nl
Fernando Alonso did not ‘predict’ Red Bull’s massive success in Formula 1
Red Bull enjoyed a highly dominant run of performances from 2010 to 2013 under Sebastian Vettel and similarly with Max Verstappen from 2021 to 2024. Fernando Alonso recalled that in 2008, the team only had a single podium while Red Bull still primarily manufactured energy drinks. Due to these factors, Alonso could not predict that the team would win eight championships down the line in Formula 1.
It’s easy to say now, but in 2008 I think Red Bull had one podium with David (Coulthard) in Monaco, and Red Bull was an energy drink company. Great team, great members in the team, but I think to predict that they would win seven or eight championships in the next ten years was not completely guaranteed.
Fernando Alonso added
Certainly, Alonso would look back in time and regret the decision he made back in 2008 to decline racing for Red Bull. However, the 43-year-old has made peace with racing for Aston Martin as the team looks to improve in performance. The 2025 season will put forth some exciting contingencies for the Silverstone-based constructor after the massive personnel changes in the team.
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