Alfa Romeo and Sauber extend F1 partnership in multi-year deal

Alfa Romeo linked up with Sauber in 2018 as a title sponsor before an expansion of the alliance led to the team becoming rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing from 2019 onwards.

Sauber announced last year that it would continue to race under the Alfa Romeo name in 2021, though its deal was due to expire at the end of the current season.

On Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo confirmed a further renewal of its existing deal on a multi-year basis with yearly assessments.

“As an historic Italian automotive brand, Alfa Romeo was born on the race track,” said Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato. “Today we are proud to continue honoring that racing DNA by placing it at heart of the future of our Brand.

“We are driven by passion and excellence. Formula One represents a cutting-edge laboratory for the future electrification of our range, fully coherent with our vision for the coming years. Furthermore, Motorsport brings the incomparable global exposure we wish to leverage for a successful future.”

The deal will see Ferrari continue to have sway over one of the Alfa Romeo seats, which is currently held by Antonio Giovinazzi. Kimi Raikkonen occupies the other seat and the 41-year-old Finn is yet decide upon his F1 future with his current deal running out at the end of the year. 

Ferrari test driver Callum Ilott has made two FP1 appearances for Alfa Romeo this year and is considered a potential future candidate for the Ferrari-selected seat, along with fellow Scuderia juniors Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman.

Alfa Romeo is hoping to capitalise on sweeping regulation changes coming into force from 2022 in its quest to move further up the grid.

Team boss Frederic Vasseur said: “We are delighted to be announcing the extension of this partnership. Alfa Romeo have been an incredible companion over the last few years, and we are even more excited about the chapters that are yet to come.

“The new regulations are giving us the chance to make another step forward and I firmly believe we are perfectly placed to make big gains together. We are looking forward to our future together and to keeping moving towards the front of the grid.

"This relationship is also very important for our company as a whole, beyond the track: the work we have done in the automotive world has shown the extent of the technology and manufacturing skills of Sauber Engineering and we are confident we can continue working for Alfa Romeo on new and exciting projects that will shape the future of the car industry.”