Formula 1: Fernando Alonso is ‘available’ for Red Bull Racing

By Asher Fair | Jul 11, 2019

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JULY 01: Fernando Alonso of Spain and McLaren F1 (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is reportedly “available” for Red Bull Racing for the 2020 Formula 1 season, according to team manager Helmut Marko.

All eyes are on Aston Martin Red Bull Racing as Silly Season for the 2020 Formula 1 season begins to heat up, and this has been largely due to some of the recent claims made by team manager Helmut Marko about the future of the team’s top driver, Max Verstappen.

In April, Marko revealed that the 21-year-old Dutchman has a performance clause in his contract that would allow him to leave the team at the end of the 2019 season despite the fact that his contract runs through the 2020 season if the team do not give him a car that is capable of winning this year’s championship. This season is their first season using Honda engines after ending their 12-year partnership with Renault.

Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, confirmed that this performance clause exists without revealing any additional details about it. Verstappen sits in third place in the driver standings with nine of the season’s 21 races having been contested.

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With 126 points, he trails only the two Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport drivers in the standings. Lewis Hamilton leads the standings with 197 points while Valtteri Bottas sits in second place with 166.

Marko expressed further concern in June that Verstappen may opt to leave the team to join Mercedes because of their dominant start to the 2019 season, and Max’s father Jos, a former Formula 1 driver himself, added fuel to this speculation by retweeting an article containing Marko’s statement.

This is all in addition to the fact that Pierre Gasly has struggled mightily in his first season driving for the Milton Keynes-based team with just three top six finishes in the first nine races. This overall lack of performance has landed him on the hot seat pretty much since the day he arrived at the team, so they may or may not look to replace him ahead of the 2020 season.

However, an unlikely driver has emerged as a potential option for Red Bull Racing if they end up having to replace one or both of their drivers ahead of the 2020 season. That driver is two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso.

Alonso’s representatives have reportedly reached out to Red Bull Racing to inform the team that he is “available” for the 2020 season.

Here is what Marko had to say about the matter, according to GPFans.

"“Alonso’s representatives have let us know that he is available.”"

However, Marko did add that, given Red Bull Racing’s partnership with Honda, actually signing Alonso may be difficult because of the poor relationship between him and the Japanese manufacturer, largely stemming from his three seasons driving for McLaren from 2015 to 2017 during which they used Honda engines. Alonso frequently criticized Honda over McLaren’s poor performances during these three seasons.

Here is what Marko had to add, according to GPFans.

"“But for Honda, Alonso is something impossible.”"

Alonso retired from Formula 1 following the conclusion of the 2018 season, but he has stated that he would be open to returning to the series if given the right opportunity to do so in a competitive car.

There have been recent rumors that he may return to drive for Scuderia Ferrari, the team for which he drove from the 2010 season through the 2014 season, if Sebastian Vettel retires and/or leaves the team after the 2019 season, but those rumors have calmed down in recent weeks.

Last week, false reports emerged stating that Alonso and McLaren had cut ties following their failed Indianapolis 500 attempt earlier this year, but all that report actually confirmed was that Alonso was free to pursue other opportunities in racing and that the Woking-based team would support him doing so. It wasn’t intended to be an official parting of ways.

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With all things considered, Fernando Alonso driving a Honda-powered car for Red Bull Racing, a team with which he has had past disagreements as far as contract offers are concerned despite the fact that he has never actually driven for them, seems very unlikely for the 2020 Formula 1 season.

Nevertheless, where things stand right now, he is reportedly “available” for the team to sign, and they may want to give him a second look depending on how things turn out with Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly throughout the remainder of the 2019 season.

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