Horner wanted Alonso and Leclerc alongside Verstappen at Red Bull

In his forthcoming memoir, the former team principal explains how he searched for a replacement for Sergio Pérez.

Christian Horner says he wanted to sign Fernando Alonso or Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen’s team-mate in 2024. In his forthcoming book Drive, he describes beginning the search for a replacement for Sergio Pérez as the Mexican’s performances declined.

According to Horner, Alonso personally expressed interest in the seat, but Helmut Marko told him the idea was not acceptable to Verstappen’s camp. Horner says the same happened with Leclerc. He maintains that he does not believe Verstappen himself was behind those decisions.

This is Horner’s account of Red Bull’s internal discussions, rather than an independently confirmed explanation from the other people involved. After both options fell away, the team turned to Liam Lawson — a decision Horner says he was already uneasy about at the time.