Christian Horner admits Red Bull came 'VERY CLOSE' to signing F1 legend INSTEAD OF Vettel

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Horner admits Red Bull came 'VERY CLOSE' to signing F1 legend INSTEAD OF Vettel

Fernando Alonso could have been the man to take the seat filled by Sebastian Vettel in 2009

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Monday 12 June 2023 14:57

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Christian Horner has revealed that Red Bull were close to signing Fernando Alonso back in 2008, eventually losing out to the Spaniard's former team Renault.

The deal ended up falling through due to a difference in contract length demands – Alonso wanting to be free to leave after a single season and the energy drink sponsored team wanting to tie him in for two – and they eventually promoted Sebastian Vettel from Toro Rosso instead.

Vettel finished second in the championship that first season, behind the Brawn GP of Jenson Button, but won the next four in a row including three in which Alonso was runner up.

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"We got very close to signing Alonso,” Horner explained to Motor Sport magazine. "Helmut [Marko] and I went to see his management at the end of 2008 for the ’09 and ’10 season and we offered him a two-year contract.

Mistake?

"He would only sign up for one year and we said Red Bull’s position was a two-year deal or nothing and he wouldn’t commit to that. We thought he’d had a Ferrari contract very clearly for ’09."

In the end, Alonso stayed for another year with Renault and didn't move to Ferrari until the 2010 season – but not before making one last attempt to get into a Red Bull cockpit.

"Halfway through ’09, I had an approach to say ‘could he join mid-season?’ because they thought he could win the championship in the car,” Horner said.

"Then we had another conversation in the back of an Alfa Romeo at Spa airport several years later in ’11 or ’12. Again, it never really...the most serious discussion was the first one and then it missed its chance."