Veteran drivers Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo denied on Thursday that they were about to leave their teams to join the Red Bull team next season. Two-time world champion Alonso, 42, angrily hit out at claims that he will depart the Aston Martin team to take Sergio Perez’s seat alongside world champion Max Verstappen.
Perez is under pressure at the Milton Keynes-based outfit after failing to match the standards set by team-mate Verstappen. The 33-year-old is contracted to the six-time constructors’ champions until 2024, but a series of underwhelming performances has fuelled rumors that he may be axed before the season ends.
The speculation reached a crescendo following the Mexican Grand Prix when Perez was left almost dead last in his car, and a furious Alonso threatened ‘consequences’ for those spreading the rumors on Twitter. Alonso later clarified his comments, tweeting that he was “really disappointed” at the speculation but would not elaborate on what precisely the consequences might be.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo also stated on social media to dispel the rumors, saying that he was happy at AlphaTauri and wanted to focus on the remaining three races of the season. The Australian’s impressive performance in Mexico has re-ignited hopes that he could be the driver to replace Perez, but it will take more than one race weekend for him to convince Red Bull boss Christian Horner to make the switch.
As he does so, Ricciardo must continue his strong form through the final three races and demonstrate that he can challenge Verstappen for the title. He can do that at the Brazilian Grand Prix, held in Sao Paulo on Sunday.
Ultimately, it is likely that Alonso will remain at Aston Martin for the remainder of his contract unless Red Bull makes a convincing offer to the Spaniard. Even then, it is doubtful that the 42-year-old will abandon his dream of winning a third world championship 17 years after his most recent triumph.
Red Bull’s operating model allows it to swap its drivers between its Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri teams, and previous switches (Verstappen and Daniil Kvyat in 2016, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly this year) have proved relatively straightforward.
But a move to Red Bull for either Alonso or Ricciardo will require the blessing of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, and that is highly unlikely to happen. Moreover, the team’s engine partner, Honda, has long been mindful that hiring Alonso would potentially cause internal turmoil and destabilize Verstappen, who is currently second in the championship. That is different from a situation it wishes to enter into, especially given the dominance of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
