F1 – Fernando Alonso was on the verge of being a Mercedes driver… – Sport.fr

Fernando Alonso (ESP) – Photo by Icon sport

Double world champion Fernando Alonso, who shines this season in the colors of Aston Martin, could have been a Mercedes driver. At least, that’s what team principal Christian Horner said.

“We were very close to signing. I went to see his representation agency at the end of 2007 to sign him for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, he was offered a two-year contract. He only wanted to sign for one season, but the position of Red Bull and Mr. Mateschitz was two years or nothing, and he did not commit,” Christian Horner said of Fernando Alonso in an interview for Motorsport Magazine.

“We thought then that he already had a very clear contract to go to Ferrari in 2009. (…) And in the end, he ended up driving for Renault these two seasons. (…) However, in the middle of 2009, I was approached to say that he wanted to join our team in 2010 because we would win the next world championship with this car. But we had our pilots! So we had another conversation in the back of an Alfa Romeo at Spa airport several years later, I think it was 2011 or 2012, but again the most serious negotiation was the first one. He missed the opportunity”.