F1
Alfa Romeo will end its partnership with Sauber at the end of 2023
Alfa Romeo announces its withdrawal from F1 at the end of the 2023 season © Florent Gooden / DPPI
A further step for the future Audi – Sauber cooperation. A few hours after the announcement of the arrival of the brand with the four rings in Formula 1, it's the turn ofAlfa Romeo to end its partnership with the Swiss team. Present in F1 since 2019, the Italian brand will withdraw from the premier category at the end of the 2023 season.
The decision had been expected for some time and seemed inevitable with the arrival of Audi in Formula 1, announced Friday morning ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Since 2019, Alfa Romeo has been a partner of the Sauber team. The Milanese firm is engaged in its own name, in a purely commercial aspect. She had recently confirmed her presence for the 2023 season, but not for beyond.
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Alfa Romeo leaves, Audi arrives
In the press release published by the Stellantis group, the Lombard brand explained its decision. “Alfa Romeo announced its return to F1 in 2017 with a long-term plan, and in July 2022 announced the decision to continue its partnership with Sauber also for 2023, given the promising results of the first half of the season, at both in terms of performance, marketing and positive collaboration with the team. As the brand's economic and industrial recovery will be completed in 2022, Alfa Romeo will now evaluate the many opportunities that present themselves and decide which will be best to support the long-term strategy and positioning of the brand. »
The end of this partnership is also a clue regarding the future of Sauber. Audi should join forces with the Swiss team from 2026, when the new engine regulations arrive, with potentially a partial buyout as a result. The German brand said during the press conference on Friday morning that it would announce which team it will partner with for the supply of its engines by the end of the year.
ALSO READ > Official: Audi announces its arrival in F1
Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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26/08/2022 at 05:06 a.m.
Oops “for the 2 years 2024 and 2025”!
26/08/2022 at 05:04 a.m.
It now remains for Alfa Romeo to optimize the closure of this partnership by the end of 2023 and for Sauber to find financing for the two years 2 and 2024 before the arrival of the brand with the 2026 rings for the 4 season! Let's hope that Alfa's 2026 Product Plan is successful
Olivier Magnière
26/08/2022 at 04:25 a.m.
It's a very strange adventure, this involvement of Alfa Romeo in F1, as a body sticker. I hope that the brand has benefited from this in notoriety but as a customer I would like to see models to buy that are not SUVs even more stylish than the other cubes. I would like to review models accessible in the compact or sedan segment.