Sauber changes name to Alfa Romeo Racing
- Farhan Khurram
- Feb 1, 2019
- 3 min read
Sauber F1 team, in a press statement published on its official website; has announced that the former title sponsor, Alfa Romeo will extend the partnership, as the team has now been renamed as Alfa Romeo Racing.
Alfa Romeo signed a title sponsorship deal with Sauber for the 2018 season. Under the deal, the team raced as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. But in a recent announcement by the Swiss squad, the team has now changed the name as it will compete in the 2019 F1 season, under the name of Alfa Romeo.
Sauber team principal, Frederic Vasseur stated that,
"It is a pleasure to announce that we will enter the 2019 Formula One World Championship with the Team name Alfa Romeo Racing."
He further continued saying that, "After initiating the collaboration with our Title Sponsor Alfa Romeo in 2018, our team made fantastic progress on the technical, commercial and sporting side."
"This has given a boost of motivation to each team member, be that track-side or at the headquarter in Switzerland, as the hard work invested has become reflected in our results."
"We aim to continue developing every sector of our team while allowing our passion for racing, technology and design to drive us forward.” said Vasseur.
The name Alfa Romeo was last seen in F1 in 1985. Alfa Romeo once competed as a full works team and won the first two Formula 1 world championships in 1950 and 1951. Alfa Romeo has been racing since 1910 and has produced many renowned and world champion drivers.
Sauber debuted in Formula 1 during the 1993 season. The Swiss team has 1 win, 1 pole position and 27 podiums to its name. It gave a start to several high profile drivers, most notably, 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen. Sauber up until 2018, was the 4th oldest continuously running team, but the name will now sadly disappear from the F1 circles.
It's worth noting that Sauber was long considered as a Ferrari B-team, and that Alfa Romeo and Ferrari were sister brands under the ownership of the FIAT group until 2016; when Ferrari finally split and went public. Involvement of Alfa Romeo as a proper team was long been theorized but it became inevitable last year, as it became the title sponsor of Sauber.
The works entry will now be revived in the 2019 F1 season after it joined forces with Sauber as a title sponsor in 2018.
Michael Manley, who is the current CEO of the American-Italian FIAT Chrysler Automobiles, said at the occasion that,
“Alfa Romeo Racing is a new name with a long history in Formula One.
The FCA CEO asserted that how the combined prowess of Sauber and Alfa Romeo will keep prospering. He stated that, "We’re proud to collaborate with Sauber in bringing Alfa Romeo’s tradition of technical excellence and Italian panache to the pinnacle of motorsport.
"Make no mistake: with Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi on one side of the pit wall and Alfa Romeo and Sauber expertise on the other, we are here to compete.”
Alfa Romeo Racing, as it now will be called, will have the former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen as well as the young Italian, Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel for the 2019 F1 season.
The team under the name of Sauber, enjoyed considerably fruitful results in 2018 with several points finishes and remarkable recovery from the previous seasons. Sauber was arguably 4th or the 5th best in terms of raw pace by the end of the season. It is hoped that the same progress will continue.
The official announcement by Sauber can be read here.
NOTE: We apologize for a mistake earlier as we wrote that Ferrari and Alfa Romeo are still sister brands and owned by FIAT. It has been corrected now.
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