
He was always in doubt at this part of the year, around Spa, when there were many meetings. "I think it was more about Webber at this time. There were new engine-friendly regulations on the way in 2014.

Vettel won four successive drivers' titles from 2010 to 2013, with Red Bull the dominant constructor, but there were doubts over his team-mate Mark Webber's future. The 2012 season, which went down to the final race as Alonso narrowly missed out on the title, may have given him hope for future glory. Race Control is now available on the Sky Sports app and your mobile phone 20Īlonso was competitive again at Ferrari, but not quite competitive enough to bring a title back to Maranello.

"Maybe if you had a crystal ball you'd change that opinion, but you would not say no to Ferrari in 2009." "I was talking quite seriously with Ferrari, and at that time I thought Ferrari was the safest thing and the best choice for the future and I'm still proud to make that decision. "It was a little bit of a stressful time - I had four days to decide. Drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber took a combined six victories. There were huge changes to the technical regulations in 2009 and Red Bull made a promising start to the era, finishing second in the standings behind runaway champions Brawn. In 2009, Alonso only had one podium and finished ninth in the championship. "I chose Renault just because they were family to me at that time, and Red Bull in 2007 were not very competitive, and Toyota were also struggling." 2009Īlonso's claimed only two victories in his two years back at Renault and one of those - the 2008 Singapore GP - was once again shrouded in controversy. I had Red Bull, I had Toyota, and I had Renault coming back. "At that time, to be honest, I had a tough decision to make at McLaren. Red Bull only entered the sport in 2005 and only had one podium to their name - and no wins - by the time they offered Alonso a contract. 2007Īlonso arrived at McLaren in 2007 as F1's youngest double champion, but a controversial year - when he partnered Lewis Hamilton - both on and off the track meant the sport's leading light was effectively a free agent at the end of the season. Watch the Italian GP on Sky F1 this weekendīut while Red Bull team boss Christian Horner maintains he only offered the driver a seat once, in 2007, Alonso stuck to his story when speaking to reporters at the Belgian GP, and went into detail about why he turned the team down.

Alonso and Red Bull clash over 'seat offers'
