SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Fernando Alonso claims Red Bull approached him "a couple of times this year" to replace Daniel Ricciardo in 2019.
Ricciardo's move to Renault for next season has started a chain reaction across the grid, moving Red Bull juniors Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz in different directions. Gasly will step up from Toro Rosso to the senior team, while Sainz will leave the programme entirely to replace Alonso at McLaren following his fellow countryman's decision to quit at the end of 2018.
Alonso has said his decision to walk away from F1 is down to the predictability of the sport and admitted during Thursday's press conference that it was also down to the fact he has not had a winning car for several years.