Max Verstappen thinks it would be ‘strange’ for Red Bull to turn to Fernando Alonso next season, as the defending champions consider options for the second seat alongside the Dutchman. The experienced Spaniard is out of contract this winter and has been extensively linked with a dream late-career transfer.
Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, The Race reported that Alonso was ‘working extremely hard’ to be in contention for a seat with Red Bull as he attempts to climb the pecking order and return to race-win contention, more than a decade after his most recent trip to the top step of the podium.
Verstappen told Dutch news site De Limburger about the speculation: “It doesn’t matter who’s next to me, and I told the team that as well. I will always believe in myself, and I believe I am the best out of everyone. However, hiring a 42-year-old driver strikes me as unusual.
“Red Bull has long had a habit of teaching new drivers themselves. Sergio Perez’s signing breaks away from that tradition, especially given his age of 42. I get along well with Fernando, that is not the issue, but I am also thinking about the team’s future. It is ultimately up to them to decide who drives where.
While Alonso is eager to demonstrate that he is the best man to join Verstappen in 2025, the current second driver at Red Bull is sure that he can stay with the Milton Keynes-based company beyond the conclusion of his current contract.
“The situation is that we are happy, both the team and the driver,” Perez stated in Suzuka. “I believe it’s just a matter of time before we sit down and try to get to an agreement to extend my contract, but at the moment there’s not a lot more to say.”
Just six months ago, the prospect of Perez securing a contract extension seems remote, but the Mexican driver has followed up a strong return to form at the end of the 2023 season with two P2 results and a P5 in Australia, despite carrying damage for the whole of the race.
on the door at Red Bull certain to close, Alonso’s chances of landing a top-team seat for the 2025 season rest on Mercedes, who are still waiting to identify their replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
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