On August 26, Alfa Romeo announced the end of its technical and commercial partnership with Sauber in Formula 1 at the end of the 2023 season. The agreement, which began in 2018, was one of the great wishes of the then FCA CEO. , Sergio Marchionne, and coincided with the debut of Charles Leclerc in the highest category of motorsport.
The announcement of the Italians coincided with the practically confirmed rumors of a union between the Sauber Group and Audi , which exactly on the same day as the Alfa Romeo announcement, officially confirmed its arrival in Formula 1 from 2026 with its own power unit. .
Although nothing else has been announced at the moment, it is assumed in the paddock that the German brand will progressively acquire control of the Sauber Group, becoming the majority shareholder from 2025, with Rausing maintaining a minority stake.
The question is whether Alfa Romeo was and is really aware of these plans, a question to which Jean-Philippe Imparato , CEO of Alfa Romeo, answered in Monza.
“We are at a time when the world of cars is changing at an incredible speed. From 2025 all our new models will be electric, and we will have fully electrified production from 2027, with the exception of two hybrid offerings.” .
“It is essential that we have the freedom to make all the necessary assessments for 2024, and at the moment there is nothing that prevents us from doing so.”
“We are very happy with the relationship we have with Sauber,” continued Imparato, “with Finn (Rausing) and Fred (Vasseur) we talk every week, and we still have eighteen months of collaboration ahead of us. Our relationship has given and continues to give a excellent performance, proportionally the highest in the paddock”.
At a time of transition, Alfa Romeo’s management wants to have carte blanche so that it can carefully assess which direction the market will take and adapt its plans accordingly.
“The renewal with Sauber for the 2023 season was signed in July, so we already had an idea of what the scenario could be, so it did not catch us by surprise. Looking ahead to 2024 we will evaluate all possible scenarios, with three guidelines that exist to respect: Italianness, tradition and also sportsmanship. Based on these principles, any scenario is open”.
“I don’t see Alfa Romeo involved in a championship that is not in line with our history, but otherwise everything will be evaluated. We like Formula 1, but we don’t want to go from one team to another , nor do we want to think about contexts in those that Alfa Romeo does not have a tradition, otherwise everything will be taken into account and we will make a decision in the first half of next year,” Imparato concluded.
