Since winning his second F1 world champion title with Renault in 2006, Fernando Alonso has often been stuck in uncompetitive cars, largely due to career choices that kept him out of top-performing teams.

Alonso ultimately signed a new contract with Aston Martin that runs through 2026 and includes an ambassador role for him alongside his racing days.

One of the biggest missed opportunities was his decision to turn down Red Bull during its dominant years in the 2010s.

“At the end of his McLaren stint, the first one in 2008, I remember going to Madrid and pushing to get him in the car,” said the team principal Christian Horner quoted by RacingNews365.

“We wanted to do a two-year deal and he was only prepared to sign for one year. And we were convinced he had a Ferrari contract in his back pocket at that point, so we didn’t get to a deal.

“Had he come to us in 2009, maybe things could have looked slightly differently.

“And even halfway through the 2009 season, he was convinced if he got in our car he could still win the championship that year. So that was that point.

“We then had a conversation, I remember meeting with him with Adrian in the back of a hire car at Spa airport – I think that was around 2011, ‘11 or ’12, about coming across from Ferrari. And then even as early as the beginning of this year.

“So it’s incredible the longevity that he’s had, the competitiveness that he has and the statistics for the talent that he has and the ability he has.

“Two World Championships don’t do him justice. He should have won more than that.”

But recently, the team principal Christian Horner confirmed that Alonso and his manager, Flavio Briatore, had discussions with Red Bull again this season. 

With Sergio Perez delivering rather disappointing results this year, which has costed Red Bullcrucial points for the Constructor’s Championship, the Milton Keynes- based team has been rethinking its second seat driver choice.

Perez started the season strong with four podiums in the first five races, leading to a two-year contract renewal, that was signed before the Canadian Grand Prix in June this year.

However, a major dip in performance since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix has prompted Red Bull to consider other drivers for his replacement, including their rising star, Liam Lawson.

Perez’s contract was eventually renewed earlier this year, but Horner unveiled that before that happened, Red Bull spoke with Alonso.

“I remember meeting with him, with Adrian [Newey], in 2011 or 2012 in the back of a hire car at Spa airport about coming across from Ferrari and even at the beginning of this year [we spoke]," Horner revealed. 

“At that time, Sergio's contract hadn't been extended, so as Fernando is a seasoned operator, he always wants to know all of his options.

“Between him and his manager, Flavio, they're always testing the market and it just shows how competitive he still is and delivering at 43 years of age.

“He is still in great shape, and it shows that age is just a number. He is still a very capable grand prix driver, and given the tools, I am sure he'd be at the front.”