During the first Miami Grand Prix in the history of Formula 1 , a surprising rumor began to spread through the paddock of the track built around the Hard Rock Stadium , linking Fernando Alonso to Red Bull.
The Spanish driver, who will turn 41 at the end of July, ends his contract with Alpine in 2022, the team with which he returned to the top category last year. To date, his third position in the 2021 Qatar GP has been his best result since his return, while in 2022 he has only been able to score two points in the first four races due to various problems with his car.
The rumors that spread through Miami indicated that Flavio Briatore , very close to Alonso , would have approached Red Bull to try to place the two-time Asturian champion in the place that Sergio Pérez has today, whose relationship with the Milton Keynes team ends at the end of the this season, but he is making more than enough merits to earn a renewal.
During the third free practice session of the Miami GP, Horner was asked about it on the Sky Sports broadcast in Great Britain and the Red Bull director ruled out any possibility of a rapprochement with Alonso.
“That’s news to me!” Horner said before quickly indicating that he is “very happy” with his current driver line-up at the team.
“Fernando is a great driver. It’s great that he’s still in Formula 1 and that he’s a source of inspiration for those over 40, but he’s not part of our plans.”
Despite his initial response, Horner also had to respond to the question of whether he had had conversations with Briatore , when the Red Bull manager took the opportunity to highlight Pérez’s performance in the 2022 season.
“I talk to Flavio. He’s a friend and I talk to him from time to time, but not [about that],” Horner said. “We are very focused on our drivers at the moment and Checo has done a great job this year,” concluded the energy drink team.
