F1 News
Age and Honda relationship makes Alonso to Red Bull "impossible to imagine"
Fernando Alonso is linked with a return to Formula 1 on a regular basis but Helmut Marko has all but ruled out a possible drive at Red Bull for two reasons in particular.
Alonso left the pinnacle of motorsport in 2018 as he pursued the final part of the 'Triple Crown', the Indy 500 title. He was replaced at McLaren by Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris but has been regularly linked with a return to F1. The Spaniard himself has insisted he'd want a competitive car for a return something Red Bull would be able to provide.
However, Alonso was critical of Honda's power unit during his time at McLaren and Marko believes this is one factor that makes a Red Bull move impossible.
“As things stand today, Fernando Alonso’s return with Red Bull is absolutely impossible to imagine,” Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.com.
“There are two reasons for that. First, there is the relationship between Alonso and Honda, which I think is quite broken.
“And second, our entire Formula 1 structure is based on our junior program, which means that our young talents move to the top category of racing.
“If we signed Alonso, he would be the oldest driver on the grid. That would contradict our entire philosophy.
“But as we use a Honda engine, it is impossible anyway.”