Rumours quashed: 'Alonso to Red Bull not going to happen'

Aston Martin started the season promisingly with several podium finishes for Alonso, but in recent months, the AMR23 has been unable to progress. Alonso had no feeling in the car last weekend and had teammate Lance Stroll pass him on Sunday. Alonso did not seem motivated at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and later, he retired because of "damage to the car due to debris".

Doubtful, some thought. Reports then surfaced that Alonso was facing a switch to Red Bull to replace the disappointing Sergio Perez. Not everyone is convinced by these reports. "Can we get rid of the elephant in the room, which is Fernando Alonso potentially going to Red Bull?! My understanding is that it is a non-starter. It is not going to happen. As much as they admire Alonso and what he can do, he is not above Ricciardo, as far as I understand it, as an option to drive for that team next year," Slater said. "This is not coming officially from the team, but it is not going to happen."

The journalist does acknowledge that Alonso has been looking around recently. "Some senior and well-placed people have told me that maybe Alonso's management have been doing their due diligence again and assessing whether there are any better options for him next year. Perhaps that has been inflated into a 'he is going to take Perez's seat rather than Ricciardo'."

Alonso signed a two-year contract with Aston Martin when he came over from Alpine. According to Slater, that still makes it "most likely" that Alonso will drive the AMR24 in 2024.