Alfa Romeo to halt its title sponsorship with Sauber at the end of 2023 F1 season
Alfa Romeo is set to put a stop to its title sponsorship with Sauber at the end of the 2023 F1 season after it returned to F1 in 2018 with an enticing multi-year partnership with Sauber.
Alfa Romeo say they will end their title sponsorship of Sauber when their current arrangement expires at the close of the 2023 season
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Ahead of the 2022 Belgian GP, the team announced the end date of its partnership with Sauber. However, the Italian marque is likely to be bought over by Audi, who is set to enter the sport in 2026. The team said in a statement:
“Since the economic and industrial turnaround of the brand will be achieved in 2022, Alfa Romeo will now evaluate among the many opportunities on the table, and decide which will be the best one to sustain the long-term strategy and the positioning of the Brand.’’
Prominent F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto had a somewhat bittersweet take on the team's upcoming sponsorship-loss. He said:
“The Alfa Romeo association has been very useful for the F1 team’s brand and the financial support helpful to boost performance, while the Italian marque are happy with the benefits it has brought the automotive company.’’
He further said:
“It’s never great to lose a title sponsor, especially one whose name resonates so much with motorsport and the automotive sector, not least because it means that a funding stream has been removed.’’
Alfa Romeo is paying the price for building an 'extremely light car'
Alfa Romeo appears to be paying the price for building an 'extremely light car' at the start of the 2022 F1 season. This is the view of the Swiss team's boss Frederic Vasseur.
In a report carried by German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur spoke about why the team appears to have dropped back in terms of performance in the last few races. The Hinwil-based outfit has not scored any points in the last four races despite showing potential early in the season.
Valtteri’s race comes to an early end with a technical issue - a disappointing conclusion to his day 😢
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The report by Auto Motor und Sport stated:
“But Vasseur also admits: ‘Maybe some damage is the price for having built an extremely light car.’ The weight was still a joker at the beginning of the season. Less and less now. The competition is slimming down more and more. Alpine, McLaren, and Haas are now less than three kilograms above the minimum weight. Aston Martin is at the limit.”
The team's 2022 campaign has also been massively hindered by its lack of reliability. The team has had six DNFs so far, with Hungary being the latest addition. Valtteri Bottas, already running outside of points, suffered a mechanical failure and was out of the race with a few laps left.
The team stands P6 in the Constructor Standings, but is currently being hunted down by its rivals. However, with nine races to go, there is still plenty of time for Alfa Romeo to get its act together and become a formidable force in the midfield.