It has now been officially confirmed that The Alfa Romeo name will return to Formula One with Sauber in 2018 after the two parties agreed a wide-ranging technical partnership, as the Swiss team will officially be known as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team with the Italian car brand to be their new title sponsor. Sauber are powered by Ferrari engines and Sergio Marchionne, the president of the Maranello marque and the Fiat-Chrysler empire, had been keen to see the Alfa Romeo brand return to F1 for the first time since 1985.
The partnership is being billed as ‘strategic, commercial and technological cooperation between Alfa Romeo and the Sauber F1 Team’. Sauber are still to confirm their driver line-up for 2018, but Ferrari-backed Charles Leclerc is expected to land one seat with fellow Ferrari protege Antonio Giovinazzi or Marcus Ericsson in the other. In a potential hint at the final decision, Leclerc and Ericsson are running in this week’s post-season Abu Dhabi test: “This agreement with the Sauber F1 Team is a significant step in the reshaping of the Alfa Romeo brand, which will return to Formula 1 after an absence of more than 30 years.” – Sergio Marchionne in a statement.
“A storied marque that has helped make the history of this sport, Alfa Romeo will join other major automakers that participate in Formula 1. The brand itself will also benefit from the sharing of technology and strategic know-how with a partner of the Sauber F1 Team’s undisputed experience. The Alfa Romeo engineers and technicians, who have already demonstrated their capabilities with the newly-launched models, Giulia and Stelvio, will have the opportunity to make that experience available to the Sauber F1 Team. At the same time, Alfa Romeo fans will once again have the opportunity to support an automaker that is determined to begin writing an exciting new chapter in its unique, legendary sporting history.”
Formula One team Sauber finished bottom of this year’s Constructors’ Championship after scoring just five points, but had already beefed up their long-standing partnership with Ferrari and will revert to using the Maranello outfit’s current engine in 2018.
