Say hello to the Alfa Romeo C43

In red and black ! Here's some news car 2023 that neither Stendhal nor Jeanne Mas would deny! For the last year of its partnership with Sauber, which began in 2018 as a sponsor and then in 2019 as a partner, Alfa Romeo presented its last single-seater before retiring at the end of the season to the profile of Audi, which is slowly but surely investing in the districts of Hinwil with a view to its arrival in F1 in 2026 with Sauber. 

At the end of a nice video presentation, which made us think for a few seconds that we were on a game show, Guanyu-Zhou et Valtteri Bottas ended up removing the cover covering their 2023 machine, and thus giving birth to the Alfa Romeo C43. The first element that jumps out at you is obviously the spectacular and aggressive livery. Gone is the main white which has covered the pontoons since 2019 and which accompanied the red of the snout and engine cover. Instead, we can see a pretty black coat covering the historic red of Alfa Romeo. 

Notable differences on the Alfa Romeo compared to 2022

“I am very proud of what we have achieved over the past few months, as creating a new car is always a huge effort from the team, explains Monchaux, technical director of Alfa Romeo F1 Team. This car is an evolution of last year, reflecting the new regulations and introducing major changes in areas where we found improvements were needed.” 

#F1 fans 🤝 @alfaromeof1 C43 #GetCloser pic.twitter.com/xqqFvNHYUV

— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) February 7, 2023

“I hope it will be faster than last year, that's the most important thing, and that it will also be more reliable: we put a lot of effort into it. Now it's time to go to the track and see how this car performs. I'm happy to be back racing and I'm confident we'll have a lot more to offer soon. »

After Haas, Red Bull et Williams, Alfa Romeo is the fourth team to present its car. The only difference – and not the least – compared to their competitors mentioned, the Italian team is the first to truly unveil its car. Will it be different again during the tests in Bahrain? It's not impossible. But it seems that the car revealed is really that of 2023. 

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In comparison to the last iteration of the C42 seen from the Abu Dhabi side, we can already notice some changes with the naked eye. First, the single air intake located behind the driver's head last year was doubled on the C43, presumably to solidify the roll cage in accordance with what was requested by the FIA. The engine hood, very enveloping in 2022 and designed in relief, has been considerably widened in its middle section, where we also find new air extraction vents. We also notice a very interesting cutout of the lateral ends of the sawtooth floor. 

“Bringing a car to life is a long process that involves all departments of a racing team, so it is a very proud moment to see it unveiled today, explains Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the new general director who replaced Frederic Vasseur. We chose to do it in front of our fans, close to home, because the launch of a new car is not only the time to state your objectives for the coming season: it is also an opportunity to give back the same to the people who supported you, whether in the stands, on television or in the factory, and to express our gratitude for their passion and their belief in our project.

Sixth in the Manufacturers' championship last year, Alfa Romeo intends to leave the scene with its head held high and do at least as well as in 2022. To do this, it has decided to put confidence in its duo of drivers made up of the experienced Finn Valtteri Bottas and the Chinese Guanyu Zhou. Note that the French Theo Pourchaire, reserve driver, will play a key role in the success of the team in 2023. “ I am very honored to be involved in my first F1 launch. It’s great to see that the efforts are paying off! I've seen the enormous amount of work that went into taking the car from paper to reality, and I can't wait to see the C43 on the track in a few days. » 

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