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Red Bull might undergo a roster change in 2025, as Christian Horner has reportedly shortlisted Fernando Alonso as one of the teammates of Max Verstappen.
Red Bull enjoyed unparalleled supremacy in the 2023 season, with only a solitary defeat at the Singapore GP. Their current season has started on arguably the highest note as Verstappen and Sergio Perez swept the season-opener Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP with a consecutive 1-2 finish. The Dutchman reigned supreme in both races, whereas Checo followed the pursuit in the P2 spot.
After a seemingly lackluster 2023 season, where, despite Perez's P2 spot in the driver's standings, the stark difference of 290 points between Verstappen and the Mexican driver became the topic of discussion for the Austrian company's 2025 driver lineup. Since then, massive speculations have sparked considering Verstappen's next teammate, which includes Fernando Alonso.
According to F1 insider, Christian Horner wanted to sign the Spaniard way back in 2014 as a replacement for Mark Webber, but the notion got rejected by the upper hierarchies - Helmut Marko and Dietrich Mateschitz. The duo believed that Fernando Alonso "doesn't fit" with their philosophy.
The two-time F1 world champion will be free to switch teams, as his contract with Aston Martin concludes by the end of the current season.
However, the tables have turned as the recent turmoil inside the Red Bull paddock showed the 51 percent stakeholder Chalerm Yoovidhya's apparent support for the team principal. So, it won't be a far-fetched thing to speculate Fernando Alonso as a Red Bull driver in 2025, considering that Christian Horner is a good mate of the Thai owner.
Fernando Alonso's reportedly potential teammate reflects on his saddening DNF at the Australian GP
The three-time F1 world champion's dominance lasted since the 2023 Singapore GP, where Max Verstappen lost to Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. However, on lap 4 of the 2024 Australian GP, the unexpected happened, and the #1 RB20 suffered a brake malfunction. The problem was such that flames came out from the rear end of the car, and his run ended with a DNF.
Surprisingly, Verstappen's last DNF came at the same track, during the 2022 Australian GP, when the RB18 fell victim to a mechanical failure on the Albert Park Circuit.
Post his dismal weekend in Melbourne, the 26-year-old detailed the happening on lap 4, saying (via F1 on X):
"When I had that moment in turn 3 was very wierd why that happened...as soon as the lights went off the right-rear brake just stuck on. It didn't cool so it just kept on being warmer and warmer giving me really weird instabilities and then of course, it caught fire."
