That time Fernando Alonso was close to Red Bull: “Meetings in 2007 and 2008, but I have no regrets”. Fernando Alonso came close on a couple of occasions to signing with Red Bull .

Fernando Alonso, tempted by Red Bull

The famous phrase, “For my birthday, I’d like his car,” referring to Sebastian Vettel’s dominant Red Bull, shocked fans and became a defining moment in Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari tenure. Yet, the Spanish driver had more than one opportunity to join the Milton Keynes team. What Christian Horner revealed weeks ago has now been confirmed by Alonso himself—who, from 2026, will fulfill his dream of driving an F1 car designed by engineering genius Adrian Newey—during the official F1 podcast Beyond The Grid.

Fernando Alonso’s account

“I never really thought about it too much,” Alonso said regarding his missed move to Red Bull. “Not back then and not now. I never have regrets. I know some career decisions in F1 can change the results you achieve, but I also believe that when you make a decision, you do it with full commitment, thinking it’s the best choice. No one has a crystal ball to know what will happen in the future. In the past, there were moments when I thought I could join Red Bull. One was when I left McLaren at the end of 2007. Afterward, there were other chances—I met with Newey and Horner at Heathrow Airport for a meeting. Then, in 2008, I got even closer to them.”

The opportunity Fernando Alonso refers to is the same one Horner described when recounting their meeting after the Belgian GP that year: “I remember we were in the parking lot of the small airport on the hill above the Spa circuit. We were sitting in the back seats; it was night, and we talked about this opportunity. But at the same time, I was already very close to Ferrari and knew that if it didn’t happen in 2009, it would surely happen in 2010. I went my way, and they took Sebastian (Vettel). It’s easy to say now, but in 2008, they only had one podium with Coulthard in Monaco, and Red Bull was primarily an energy drink company.”

Fernando Alonso on F1 career choices

“They were already a great team,” Fernando Alonso added, “with great personnel, but predicting they would win seven or eight championships wasn’t easy. Even when Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, there was a lot of criticism. Everyone asked him why he was leaving a winning team for one that had only achieved a couple of podiums. And now he’s a seven-time world champion. The same applies to Ferrari. No one knows what Lewis will achieve next year. If Ferrari is strong and he wins a championship, it will be seen as a great move. But if Mercedes wins, it will be considered a bad choice. How can you predict these things?”