Red Bull have a seat to fill next season after Daniel Ricciardo’s departure to Renault, but one driver who won’t be joining the team is Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard is “making his own mind up about his future at McLaren”, ESPN reports. However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has ruled out a move for the two-time Formula 1 world champion, saying it would not be the “healthiest thing” for the team for “chaotic” Alonso to join.
Speaking to F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Horner said: “I’ve got huge respect for Fernando, he is a great driver, a fantastic driver, but it’s very difficult to see [him joining Red Bull] and he’s tended to cause a bit of chaos wherever he’s gone.
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“I’m not sure it would be the healthiest thing for the team for Fernando to join the team. So I think our preference is to continue to invest in youth than take a driver who is towards the end of his career.”
Autosport reports that two drivers contracted to Red Bull - Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz - are contenders to be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2019. Gasly currently drives for Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso and Sainz is on loan at Renault this season.