Fernando Alonso has stirred the pot by claiming he turned down an offer from Red Bull recently to replace Daniel Ricciardo who shocked the establishment by accepting an offer to join Renault on a two-year deal.
Red Bull indicated early on that Alonso was not in the running for the coveted seat, with team chief Christian Horner claiming that the Spaniard tends to cause chaos wherever he drives.
But now, according to Alonso Red Bull made him an offer to take Ricciardo's place alongside Max Verstappen, which he alleges he turned down intent on ending his Formula 1 career at the Abu Dhabi season finale this year.
In a paddock interview with Sky ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Alonso revealed, "I have had an offer from one of the top three teams a couple of times this year, but it was not a case for me to join that adventure."
Asked if it was Red Bull who offered him the drive to replace Ricciardo, Alonso replied: "Yes."
Instead, the double F1 World Champion is sticking to his decision to quit F1 and explore other racing opportunities, "At the moment for me Formula 1 is not giving me probably the challenges I am looking for at the moment."
"Outside of Formula 1, I am discovering different series in motorsport that gives you different challenges and maybe makes you a more complete driver. That's what I will try and find in 2019," added Alonso who made fun of Horner's comments on Twitter.
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