"He didn't take us seriously": Red Bull's Helmut Marko opens up on Fernando Alonso rejecting the team in 2008

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko shared that they had previously approached Fernando Alonso to join the Austrian team in 2008. The Spanish driver and the energy drink manufacturer have been linked with each other for several years but a move between the two never manifested.

After a controversial one-year stint with McLaren in 2007, the two-time world champion returned to the Renault F1 team for 2008 and 2009 to race alongside Nelson Piquet Jr. Alonso had a successful stint with the French team in 2005 and 2006 as he won his two titles with them while fighting off the challenge of Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher.

While appearing on the Inside Line podcast, Marko stated that they had also approached Fernando Alonso for a seat at Red Bull in 2008. He said:

"Before we started winning, I think in 2008, we had been talking to Alonso. But he didn't take us seriously, so yeah didn't happen."

Alonso was also rumored with Red Bull in 2024 but the Austrian rejected the idea of him and Max Verstappen racing alongside each other as he believed it would have disrupted the team. Speaking to Formel1.de's YouTube channel, he said:

"Well, there have been conversations [with Fernando Alonso]. But as I mentioned before, a harmonious work environment is very important to Max and I think that probably would not have been the case with Alonso.”

Alonso went on to sign a contract extension with the Aston Martin F1 team that would see him race for them until 2026.

Fernando Alonso chimes in on Aston Martin's struggles

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso stated that as a team they needed to raise the bar after finishing behind Haas and Williams F1 at the recently concluded Italian GP.

As per Motorsport.com, the Spaniard said:

"We need to be patient. We need to understand that the big target is 2026. But at the same time, I think as a team, we could accept not being in the top four battle - they are top teams and they are well in front of us. But now to be behind Williams, behind Haas, behind [RB], I think we need to raise the bar a little bit. We need to get better.”

Aston Martin has been behind the top four teams ever since they introduced their upgrade package in the Japanese Grand Prix earlier in the season but have slid back into the clutches of the midfield in recent weeks.

The British team has only been fighting for the final few points positions in the majority of the race weekends and has shown some glimpses of their early 2023 form such as in Canada. They are currently P5 in the Constructors Championship with 74 points, with eight races and three Sprints remaining.