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 now, it wasn’t known that they made contact in 2024.

Red Bull had Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez under contract a💮t the beginning of this season when Alonso made enquiries.

“Well, at th🅘at t💃ime, Sergio's contract hadn't been extended,” Horner explained.

“So as Fer𓆏nando is a seasoned operator, you know, he always wants to know all of his options.

“Between him and his manager or ad🥀visor of many years, Flavio Briatore, they're always, you know, testing the market.

“It just shows how hungry and ꦚcompetitive he is. He's still deliver🥃ing at 43 years of age.

“He's 🍬still in great shape and it just shows that age is just a nuꦗmber.

“He's still a very, ve🌞ry 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 ties him to the team unt♍il the end of 2026.

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

Horner detailed the times he came close to signi🃏ng Alonso.

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

“We wanted to do a two-year deal, and he was only prepared 🐎to sign for one year.

“And we were convinced he had a Ferrari contract in hi✨s 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 20꧙09 season, he was convinced if h♐e 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 Newe♛y in the b🌠ack of a hire car at Spa Airport.

“I think that was around 2011, ‘11 o𒅌r ’12, about coming across from Ferrari and then even as early as the beginning of this yearᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ.

“So it's incredible the longevity that he's had, the competitiveness that he has, and the statistics for the talent t💫hat he has and the ability he has.

“Two world champio🌌nships don't do him justice. He should have won more than that.”