168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Fernando Alonso was “testing the market” in preliminary talks with Red Bull this year, Christian Horner admitted.

Alonso and Red Bull’s flirtations over the years have been well-documented but, until no༒w, it wasn’t known that they maꦇde contact in 2024.

Red Bull had Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez under contract 💦at the beginning of t🐼his season when Alonso made enquiries.

“Well, at that time, Sergio's contract hadn't been extended,” 💫Horner expl🅷ained.

“So as Ferna🍬ndo is a seasoned operator, you know, he always wan🅘ts to know all of his options.

“Between him and his manag🍒er or advisor of many years, Flavio Briatore, they're always, you know෴, testing the market.

“It🐟 just shows how hungry and competitive he is. He's still delivering at 43 years of age.

“He's still in great shape and it just shows tha🥀t age isꦜ just a number.

“He's still a very, very capable grand 🌜prix driver and given the tools, I'm sure he'd 👍be at the front.”

Alonso instead opted to pen a new deal with Aston Martin which tie♋s hi🌱m to the team until the end of 2026.

It means the two-time Formula 1 ꦯchampion may end his career without ever representing Red Bull, despite a series🦂 of near-misses.

Horner detailed the t𝄹imes he came close to signing Alonso.

“He's a formidable competitor. At the end of his McLaren stint, the first one in 2008, I remember going to Madrid and p✨ushing to get him in the car,” Horner said.

“We wanted to do a two-year deal, and he was only prepare𓃲d to sign𝔉 for one year.

“And we were convinced he had a Ferrari contract in his back pocket at🔥 that point. So we♊ didn't get to a deal.

“And had he come to us in 2009, maybe things could have looked slightly♏ differently.

“And even halfway through the 2009 season, he was convi💝nced if he got in our car, he could still win the championship that year. So that was that point.

“We then had a conversation… I remember meeting with him with Adrian Newey in🎀 the back of a hire car at Sp🦩a Airport.

“I think that was around 2011, ‘11 or ’12, about coming♔ across from Ferrari and then even as early as the beginning ꩵof this year.

“So it's incredible the longevity that he's had,𒁏 the competitiveness that he has, and the statistics for the tal💎ent that he has and the ability he has.

“Two world championships don't do h𒁃im justice. He should have won more t𓆏han that.”