Alfa Romeo Is Coming Back To Formula 1... Sort Of

After a long absence following the end of its engine supply deal in 1979, Alfa Romeo is returning to the field with the Sauber F1 team, but this time they're bringing engineers instead of engines

Matt Kimberley

29 Nov 2017

Alfa Romeo Is Coming Back To Formula 1... Sort Of

Alfa Romeo is returning to Formula 1… but not quite in the way that you’d hope.

Alfa has announced a partnership with the struggling Sauber team, which finished last in this year’s championship. It’s the first time the company has been involved with the sport since 1979, when it pulled out at the end of its chain of engine supply deals that started in 1961.

Sauber will be renamed the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. Alfa’s family links with Ferrari will help the team keep hold of its Ferrari engine supply deal. Engineers from both sides of the fence will share knowledge and experience in order to improve both the F1 car and Alfa Romeo’s road cars.

The famous Italian brand won the first two Formula 1 world championships with Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio.

Company CEO Sergio Marchionne stressed that his staff would be helping the Sauber team. Meanwhile, Sauber Holding chairman Pascal Picci said that working with Alfa Romeo would help his team develop its technologies and engineering projects.

Alfa Romeo is enjoying success with its Giulia and Stelvio models.

The move mirrors two already in operation on the F1 grid. Aston Martin’s recent cosying-up with Red Bull Racing is the same sort of deal. Also, much like Toro Rosso being the Red Bull test bed for a senior team drive, Ferrari’s junior drivers Charles LeClerc are expected to race in the Sauber seats. The team is looking more like a Ferrari junior team as time passes.

Don’t forget the Haas team already operates in a similar capacity, using Ferrari’s wind tunnel and giving Ferrari more data to analyse in its efforts to make its race car ever faster.

This year it was widely accepted that the Ferrari was the fastest race car at many of the calendar’s slower, twistier circuits. Sauber will be hoping to benefit, if indirectly, from some of that speed.

Source: Autocar

Comments

So basically, if I understand, they’ll still be at the bottom of the grid

Towards the end of the year They have matched haas despite having a 2016 pu. If they get next years car right they will be chasing the midfield . This ferrari deal will probably have some cash in it as well well so an extra boost

Surely they could save weight by removing the on board cameras because FOM never uses them anyway

Finally Pascal’s wishes are accepted

If he stay for next year…😥

Yissss. I always wanted to see Sauber competing in the midfield. After all, it is a team with an extremely rich heritage. Hope the Alfa engineers can deliver.

New Ferrari engines for next year and the same engineers who’ve designed the 8C, 4C, and Guilia, not to mention the rich heritage the name has in racing. Plus a team with 25 years of experience in Formula 1. This could actually be better than you’d think.

I think it’s a good decision. Together with the new instead of a 1 year old Ferrari engine they should be able to make a breakthrough. Would be nice to see the team back in it’s better days (2008-2012).