‘Absolutely cannot’ – Red Bull warned against nightmare Max Verstappen team-mate choice

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Red Bull have been warned against putting Fernando Alonso in the RB21 alongside Max Verstappen, Christijan Albers saying he should only be considered as a replacement for the Dutchman.
Red Bull are at best in the hunt for one new driver for next year’s championship as Sergio Perez, into his final year of his current deal, is always one bad race weekend away from being linked with the axe.
Christijan Albers: I can never see Alonso next to Verstappen
At worst, they may require two new drivers with F1’s rumour mill continuing to link Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant Mercedes seat.
Red Bull, though, are not short of options for 2025 with double World Champion Alonso said to be on the list of candidates.
According to former F1 driver turned pundit Ralf Schumacher, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is a “very, very big fan” of Alonso’s.
He went on to tell Sky Deutschland: “Apparently there are big intentions in the background to bring Fernando Alonso into the cockpit next year to have another strong driver if Max Verstappen leaves the team.”
But while Verstappen and Alonso would make a thrilling line-up, two gladiators of the sport going wheel-to-wheel, it would only be thrilling for the fans, not Red Bull.
That’s the opinion of former F1 driver Chistijan Albers.
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“This is just an emergency plan from Horner in case Verstappen leaves,” Albers said in the latest F1 podcast for De Telegraaf.
“You absolutely cannot put the two side-by-side. That won’t go well at all.
“Everyone can say Alonso has calmed down, but that really won’t work out. Alonso is really not going to let himself be beaten in his last year of driving F1.
“He is never, never, never going to do that alongside Max Verstappen.”
However, should Red Bull lose Verstappen to Mercedes, as is rumoured, then the 44-year-old believes Alonso should have a place at Red Bull.
“Alonso can only be an option if Verstappen leaves,” he continued.
“I can never see Alonso next to Verstappen. Alonso is not going to get crushed in the last year of his career.”
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