Revealed: Contract Clause Thwarts Red Bull’s Pursuit of Alonso and Norris

Uncovered: The Reason Behind Red Bull's Unsuccessful Attempts to Sign Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris

A reported contract stipulation seems to have thwarted a major deal

Helmut Marko has revealed the behind-the-scenes details of Red Bull's unsuccessful attempts to secure contracts with Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris.

He maintains that negotiations had reached an advanced phase with both racers a few years back; however, the deals ultimately collapsed due to various factors.

Red Bull began showing interest in Alonso not long after he secured consecutive F1 titles with Renault.

Marko mentioned on the Inside Line F1 podcast that they had discussions with Alonso around 2008, before their winning streak began.

“I suppose he didn’t think we were serious, so it never came to pass.”

After leaving McLaren, Alonso was searching for a new team and ultimately decided to rejoin Renault in 2008.

In that particular year, Red Bull's drivers were David Coulthard and Mark Webber.

Contractual terms halted the chase for Norris

Marko asserts that they were nearing a conclusion in their pursuit of Norris.

Marko didn’t mention a specific year, but Norris made his F1 debut in 2019. At that time, Red Bull's drivers were Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, while Toro Rosso's lineup included Alex Albon and Daniil Kvyat.

Marko mentioned regarding Norris: "We engaged in extensive talks and had a contract prepared for Lando Norris."

“For AlphaTauri, which was known as Toro Rosso back then.

“Regrettably, McLaren discovered the situation. They had two agreements, one of which included a clause that terminated the partnership with Lando Norris.”

Norris has consistently gotten better to the point where he is now posing a significant challenge to Verstappen's bid for the drivers' championship.

The close friends are competing for the championship this year, and Verstappen's formerly strong lead has been reduced to only 62 points.

Norris is contributing to McLaren’s pursuit of the constructors’ championship, with the team currently trailing Red Bull by eight points.

How the F1 lineup could have changed if Red Bull had secured these high-profile drivers.

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