Red Bull reject Liberty Media attempts to get Alonso back in F1

Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko says the team has "no need" for Fernando Alonso, amid suggestions that Liberty Media has tried to engineer a move for the Spaniard.

Alonso and Red Bull were embroiled in a war of words last year after the two-time F1 champion claimed that Red Bull had tried to sign him six times over the course of his career, something both Marko and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refuted.

Red Bull claim that they made attempts to sign Alonso for the 2008 campaign as his McLaren tenure ended in acrimony after just one year at Woking, but dismissed suggestions of any other approaches.

Alonso has talked up his hopes of returning to F1 in 2021 when the sport will fall under new regulations designed to make the playing field more level.

Auto Bild claims that Liberty has looked to aid Alonso's return to the grid as they look to add big names to the sport, but Marko says he is not interested in helping out.

"We immediately said that there is no need for Alonso," Marko told Auto Bild.

"It's also not possible because of our engine partner Honda - if they only hear the name Alonso, their hackles are raised."

Marko may soon have to consider a new driver for the senior team, with Max Verstappen's Red Bull future shrouded in mystery.

Amid reports that Lewis Hamilton could seek a 2021 move to Ferrari, Mercedes would almost certainly look to Verstappen to replace the six-time world champion and Marko knows that keeping the Dutchman long-term is not guaranteed.

Marko said: "We have to offer Max 2020 a car that will make him a world champion, otherwise he'll be gone, it's going to be crucial weeks, right now it's going off right behind the scenes."

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