F1 team boss was ‘highly wary’ of signing Alonso before new Aston Martin contract

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Fernando Alonso was ‘very keen’ to join Red Bull before signing a new contract with Aston Martin but Christian Horner was ‘highly wary’ about the move for one reason.

The Silverstone squad announced this Thursday that Alonso put pen to paper on fresh terms with the team. Aston Martin now have the 42-year-old tied down through, at least, the 2026 Formula 1 season. It also means that Alonso will still be on the F1 grid past his 45th birthday.

Alonso deciding to commit his future to Aston Martin also detached one of Formula 1’s elite drivers from the market. The two-time champion was one of the vital pillars of the 2025 silly season as Red Bull may open a vacancy and Mercedes also strive to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Christian Horner was ‘wary’ about signing Fernando Alonso for Red Bull

Hamilton left Mercedes to search for George Russell’s next teammate after signing his multi-year contract to replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari from 2025. While Red Bull are still to decide if Sergio Perez merits a fresh contract with his current deal in Milton Keynes expiring this year.

The possibility of replacing Perez at Red Bull was one which took Alonso’s interest before he signed his new contract with Aston Martin. That is according to The Race, which reports that the Oviedo native was ‘very keen’ on the move and was even ‘pushing hard’ to seal the seat.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

But Red Bull opted against offering Alonso a contract as team principal Horner only saw him as a stop-gap replacement for Max Verstappen and not as Perez’s successor. Horner wanted to have an elite driver ready to move to Milton Keynes if Verstappen opted to force any exit.

Pairing Alonso with Verstappen to enjoy a multiple-champion driver line-up at Red Bull next year was something that Horner was ‘highly wary’ about. Horner feared the potential of the Spaniard joining the Dutchman and creating internal friction if the F1 powerhouses clashed.

Fernando Alonso has a questionable relationship with his teammates

Alonso has developed a sometimes questionable reputation in Formula 1 with how the 2005 and 2006 champion has collided with his teammates. Tensions particularly overboiled at the 2007 Hungarian GP when Alonso and Hamilton as an F1 rookie were teammates at McLaren.

The fallout from their clash was ultimately the foundation for Alonso to leave McLaren after just one season. Alonso reacted poorly to a sense of favouritism in Hamilton’s favour when he started qualifying on an older set of tyres, so opted to block the Briton in McLaren’s box.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

It meant Hamilton could not attempt a final flying lap as Alonso went on to secure pole. But the stewards slapped the Spaniard with a five-place grid penalty that promoted Hamilton to P1. Hamilton would win the 2007 Hungarian GP for his first of eight victories at the race yet.

But while Alonso has sunk to lows like the controversy at the 2007 Hungarian GP, F1 legend Alain Prost has admitted that Alonso ‘really surprised’ him when he joined Alpine in 2021 as there were ‘no problems’ or ‘politics’. Prost was ‘very worried’ about how Alonso would act.