Insider Reveals Red Bull’s Missed Opportunities: Alonso and Norris Deals That Never Happened

Red Bull Racing, Formula 1’s current reigning championship team, narrowly missed out on signing two of the sport’s top talents. Helmut Marko, a consultant within Red Bull’s driver development program, recently revealed that the team came remarkably close to securing deals with both Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris.

According to Marko, Red Bull had advanced conversations with Fernando Alonso following his back-to-back F1 championships with Renault. These negotiations took place around 2008, during a period when Alonso was considering new opportunities following his stint at McLaren.

“Before we started winning, in 2008 or so, we were talking to Alonso,” Marko stated on the Inside Line F1 podcast. Unfortunately, the Spanish driver did not take Red Bull’s aspirations seriously, ultimately opting to return to Renault. At that time, Red Bull’s lineup consisted of veteran David Coulthard and rising star Mark Webber, both of whom would later contribute to the team’s stories success.

Similarly, the chance to bring young British driver Lando Norris into the fold also slipped through the Milton Keynes outfit’s fingers. Marko revealed that serious discussions and even a prepared contract nearly saw Norris joining RB (formerly known as AlphaTauri, and before that, Toro Rosso), Red Bull’s sister team, around the time of his F1 debut in 2019.

“We had serious discussions, and we had a contract ready, for Lando Norris. For AlphaTauri, or Toro Rosso at the time. Unfortunately [McLaren] found out. They had two contracts, and then one was a clause which stopped this cooperation with Lando Norris,” Marko recalled. McLaren’s intervention preserved their talented young driver, and they’ve been reaping the benefits since.

This season, both Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso have shown their distinct talents, but their seasons have unfolded in contrasting ways.

Norris has consistently fought near the front of the pack since McLaren’s significant upgrades earlier this season. With 15 podium finishes, including two race wins in Miami and the Netherlands, Norris has demonstrated his ability to challenge for victory on multiple occasions. His strong results, including five second-place finishes and multiple third-place standings, are however let down by his lack of first-lap pace. Arguably, he could have won the Italian Grand Prix if teammate Oscar Piastri hadn’t managed to overtake him, allowing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to also squeeze by.

Alonso, on the other hand, has faced more challenges with Aston Martin. Despite a promising start to the season, Alonso’s performance has been less consistent, with his best result being a 5th place finish in Saudi Arabia. He has struggled to break into the top tier of points, earning a series of mid-pack finishes and a few non-points-scoring races.

However, with the alleged arrival of legendary designer Adrian Newey at Aston Martin in 2025 and the team’s growing investment in engineering talent, Alonso’s future prospects look brighter.