Alfa Romeo bids farewell to Formula 1. Six years after his debut, strongly supported by Sergio Marchionne, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the last that the house of the Stellantis group will race in the top series of motorsport. And to celebrate the last race and 6 years of collaboration with ithe Sauber brand, the C43 will take to the track with the number 6 across the entire livery of the single-seater and the writing "Alfa Romeo in our hearts", a tribute that the entire Sauber team wanted to dedicate to the brand and the team.
The history of Alfa Romeo in Formula 1
Alfa Romeo has participated in the Formula 1 World Championship on several occasions, both as a manufacturer and as an engine supplierthe. The first time was from 1950 to 1988. Then, at the behest of Sergio Marchionne, since 2018 the car manufacturer has been present in Formula 1 as title sponsor and technical partner of the Swiss Sauber team.
It is no coincidence that on the very day the farewell, or perhaps goodbye, was announced, the company remembered the Italian-Canadian manager. Alfa Romeo thanks “all those who shared these unforgettable years. A special thought to Sergio Marchionne, who strongly wanted this combination, and who supported the partnership with determination in 2018".
In these six years many talented drivers have taken turns on the single-seater, first of all the current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who made his debut in Formula One with Sauber Alfa Romeo.
The CEO of Alfa Romeo: "Six seasons that have relaunched the image of the brand"
«The six seasons in F1 have contributed to the relaunching the image of the Alfa Romeo brand and to the dissemination of its technological cutting edge. It is with great emotion and gratitude that the brand closes another chapter of sporting history in motorsport, which has always been in the brand's DNA", stated Jean Philippe Learnato, CEO of Alfa Romeo.
"A huge thank you to the pilots, in chronological order: Charles Leclerc, Marcus Ericsson, Antonio Giovinazzi, Kimi Räikkönen, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas who have fought for the team in these 6 years", said the manager, explaining that "At the end of these six seasons it is time of budgets. For Alfa Romeo this adventure in F1 represented an international showcase of the highest level, as well as being a profound human and sporting experience which supported the development of our products with an excellent return on investments, offering a powerful strategic marketing platform throughout the world for Alfa Romeo. The benefits in terms of visibility represent a benchmark for the entire Stellantis group. Alfa Romeo has competition in its DNA and will return to enthuse its fans as soon as possible, when the right conditions are there,” he concluded learnedly.
