Christian Horner ‘confirmed’ Red Bull held talks with 32-win F1 driver amid Max Verstappen uncertainty

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Max Verstappen will have a new teammate in the 2025 Formula 1 season, but there was the prospect that Red Bull could have fielded an entirely different line-up.

Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez this season after the Mexican suffered a dismal 2024 campaign. While Verstappen won his fourth consecutive title, Perez was eighth in the standings having scored just 49 points from the last 18 Grand Prix.

It was not smooth sailing for Red Bull in 2024 on track, as their significant drop in pace and Perez’s woeful form cost them the Constructors’ Championship.

But the Milton Keynes-based outfit was shrouded in drama behind the scenes. The situation surrounding Christian Horner at the start of the season was followed by a mass exodus of key staff.

Adrian Newey departed for Aston Martin, while Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay followed in leaving Red Bull for Audi and McLaren respectively. The key losses led to rumours that Verstappen could be next to leave, despite having a contract with Red Bull until 2028.

While the team considered what to do with Perez for 2025, they also faced losing their star driver. This left team principal Horner delving into the already chaotic driver market.

Christian Horner ‘confirmed’ Red Bull held talks with Fernando Alonso

Verstappen could leave Red Bull before the 2026 technical regulations come into effect, with Mercedes being his likely destination. Verstappen’s camp had talks with Toto Wolff last year, but a deal never materialised as the Silver Arrows signed Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Amid the speculation surrounding the Dutchman’s future at Red Bull, journalist Christian Menath says Horner ‘confirmed’ that Red Bull had held talks with Fernando Alonso over a possible deal.

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Menath predicted the Spaniard to race with Red Bull in 2025 at the start of 2024 alongside Alex Albon, and he stated his guess was somewhat right as the two parties had been in discussions.

He said via the Motorsport-Magazin Talk YouTube channel: “Perez is gone, so we are right [there]. In that respect, we made the right prediction, and Fernando Alonso.

“Christian Horner confirmed this to us. [They had] contact not only when he went to Ferrari and not to Red Bull, Fernando Alonso.

“But now again, when we looked at it with Max Verstappen, everything, it was a bit of a limbo.”

Can Fernando Alonso perform with Aston Martin in 2025?

While talks may have happened with Red Bull, nothing came of it for Alonso as he went on to sign an extension with Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll. The Silverstone-based team are one of two teams along with McLaren to retain their 2024 drivers.

Last season was a frustrating year for Aston Martin, The team had made a huge step forward the year prior, with Alonso grabbing eight podiums and finishing fourth in the standings.

But the two-time champion did not reach the same heights in 2024 as the AMR24 fell backwards with every upgrade. However, Alonso was still able to outclass teammate Stroll, scoring 70 points to his 24 as Aston Martin finished fifth in the constructors’ standings.

Heading into 2025, the 43-year-old is looking forward to the season ahead. Alonso is excited to work with Newey at Aston Martin as he hopes the legendary engineer can replicate his success with Red Bull.

With Newey on board and Honda coming as their engine supplier in 2026, Peter Windsor says fans cannot write off Alonso for the title as they have the foundations to fight at the front.