Max Verstappen sent offer to quit Red Bull and join F1 rival keen to be his team-mate
Despite putting in strong performances for Aston Martin this season, Fernando Alonso has been strongly linked with joining a new team. And alongside the Spaniard continuously proving his worth on the track, the driver has always shown incredible generosity to his teams behind the scenes.
As a journeyman of the sport, Alonso has enjoyed spells at various teams including Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin. His final two years at Renault saw him win two World Championship titles in 2005 and 2006, but it was during his time at Ferrari that he became better known for his actions away from the track.
His four-year spell while driving the Italian car saw him finish second in the World Drivers’ Championship standings on three occasions in 2010, 2012 and 2013 – all behind Germany’s Sebastian Vettel. But despite his narrow misses while trying to reach the top spot, Alonso was always keen to share his success.
Speaking to Racing Magazine in 2020, the F1 star revealed that he was generous with his prize money and believed that the team should also be fairly rewarded for their efforts in helping him cross the chequered flag.
“At Ferrari and at other teams I always used to share my prize bonus with my mechanics,” Alonso said. “I thought if we were getting a podium or race win, it was not only me but teamwork,” he added. “So, if I won $30,000 I would share it with my team.”
So far this season Alonso has managed seven podium finishes, including three second-place finishes at Monaco, Netherlands and the Canada Grand Prix. But the 42-year-old appears to be wanting to go one better next season and is already assessing his options with his current Aston Martin deal set to expire in 2024.
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According to reports from journalist Matthew Thompson, Alsonso “is very unhappy with the direction his team has taken and the 2024 car looked very bad.” And in a surprise twist the Spaniard could replace Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in a swap deal.
The deal would see Alonso become a strong back-up to current F1 champion Max Verstappen. While Perez, who has finished first at the Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan Grand Prix this season, would be hoping to land a first World Championship win for Aston Martin.
Despite the claims, Perez has maintained that he will be staying at Red Bull, with the team’s advisor Helmut Marko also revealing to Sky Italia: “How many times do I have to repeat this? Checo has a contract for 2024 and that will happen. He had a super weekend until the first lap of the race and I am convinced that he would have been on the podium [without the collision].”
Amid the rumours, Alonso will be hoping to improve on his two recent DNF finishes when he heads to the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, November 5.
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