Red Bull would be shooting themselves in the foot by pairing Max Verstappen with Fernando Alonso next year, according to former F1 driver Christijan Albers. Alonso has been linked with several teams as he nears the end of his Aston Martin contract, which is due to expire at the end of the season.
Mercedes are thought to be weighing up a move for Alonso to succeed Lewis Hamilton when the 39-year-old joins Ferrari. Silver Arrows team principal Toto Wolff recently named Alonso as one of four drivers he would be interested in bringing to the team next year.
Red Bull have also been credited with a desire to sign the Spaniard if Sergio Perez is relieved of his duties at the end of the campaign. However, it has been suggested by Albers that partnering Alonso with Verstappen would be a recipe for disaster.
“This is just an emergency plan from Horner in case Verstappen leaves,” Albers told De Telegraaf while discussing the Alonso speculation. “You absolutely cannot put the two side-by-side. That won’t go well at all.
“Everyone can say Alonso has calmed down, but that really won’t work out. Alonso is really not going to let himself be beaten in his last year of driving F1. He is never, never, never going to do that alongside Max Verstappen.
“Alonso can only be an option if Verstappen leaves. I can never see Alonso next to Verstappen. Alonso is not going to get crushed in the last year of his career.”
It remains to be seen where Alonso will end up next season, with the 42-year-old showing no signs of stepping away from F1 despite being the oldest driver on the grid. There is still a chance that he could extend his stay at Aston Martin but he recently suggested that he would look elsewhere if nothing is sorted by the summer break.
“I don’t want to wait until the summer because I think that’s unfair for me but also for the team if they have to find more options,” said Alonso after coming home in eighth place at the Australian Grand Prix.
“As I said at the presentation of the car, when I make that decision, the first office I will go to will be Aston Martin, and that will be my priority, my loyalty to them and if we reach an agreement, then that will be the decision. If I don’t reach an agreement with Aston Martin, I will look elsewhere, but that will be a second option.”
