Alfa Romeo has bravely faced the unveiling of its new car – but will the results match? 5 takeaways from their launch in 2021

Two grand pianos, a couple of dancers and a Eurovision-style presentation. Alfa Romeo certainly didn’t hold back on the 2021 launch of the car when they unveiled the C41 in a short and snappy old school event in Warsaw, Poland. But behind the glamor and the musical medleys was the spark of a project that wanted to improve on eighth place in the designers’ rating from the previous year. So what will happen when the lights go out in the 2021 season? Here’s what we took away from their introduction …

1. Vasseur keeps expectations in check

It’s clear that Alfa Romeo and its title sponsor Orlen – a Polish fuel company – wanted to be bold with their launch event and swanky new paint job, but their goals weren’t bold or swanky. Chef Fred Vasseur specifically said that he refused to grow up because it did more harm than good.

READ MORE: Fresh Look For Alfa Romeo With The Launch Of The C41 Challenger For 2021

Instead, he kept expectations in check, talking about making “step by step” progress and accepting that it will be a “long way” back to the top of the midfield. And that’s a sensible approach, because Alfa Romeo has an uphill battle ahead of them to move up to eighth place – and at least stop Williams and Haas.

The C41, like most of the challengers this year, is an evolution of its predecessor, with the team choosing to ditch its two development brands on the nose as they believe that this is where most profits can be made.

Developing a package that was already struggling is not ideal, but Alfa Romeo could hardly do anything else given the stability of the regulations ahead of the vast new technical regulations being rolled out over the next year that require a blank sheet of paper.

Midfield is tight so there is a chance Alfa Romeo can shine occasionally but it will be difficult.

Launch Alfa Romeo 2021: The five big talking points

2. You need Ferrari to deliver with the new PU

One element beyond Alfa Romeo’s control that could have a huge impact on their season is their power unit. Last year’s Ferrari engine was bad, falling from class leader in the preseason to the worst of the four manufacturers in terms of performance.

There are positive noises from Maranello that Ferrari has made growth on the engine side, boss Mattia Binotto speaks of strong numbers on the test bench with a so-called “completely new” unit.

READ MORE: Vasseur expects the new Ferrari engine to reclaim “a large part” of Alfa Romeo’s performance

And Vasseur was encouraged and said, “I am thinking of yours [Ferrari’s] Side, they’ll likely restore much of the problems we had last year. “

Alfa Romeo’s relationship with Ferrari is not like that of Haas, who takes over all unlisted parts from the factory team. Sure, they take the engine and a part or two, but the biggest benefit is the close working relationship where they can learn from the best team.

If they can use this information and expertise this year, but also next year when new rules are put in place, Alfa Romeo could really begin to reap the benefits. Ferrari can of course help them best by delivering horsepower in this new engine …

Raikkonen: “Fighting in the top 10” would be a good start

3. Raikkonen is as motivated as ever

Forty-two. This is how old Kimi Raikkonen will be at the end of this season, the Finn has had an unbelievable 329 Grand Prix starts. But even though he spun a wheel in Formula 1 for the first time 20 years ago, his motivation is still high – and that’s why he continues to race.

Raikkonen is no longer as consistently fast as it used to be, but he can deliver a stunning result on his day – and his feedback is some of the best in the business.

READ MORE: Our first technical version of Alfa Romeo’s 2021 C41

With the team struggling to get back to the top of midfield and scoring points regularly, having someone with Raikkonen experience is hugely important, as Vasseur admits.

Giovinazzi praises “most beautiful car”

4. Giovinazzi wants to impress his Ferrari supporters

He may not have set the world of F1 on fire in his 40 Grand Prix starts, but Antonio Giovinazzi has improved from race to race from year to year and that is a big reason Ferrari continues to be part of the Italian from . supports their development program.

The 27-year-old has open communication with Scuderia, whose employees advise him if necessary, and he was even in their simulator at the beginning of the year. That support, along with improving his skills, means Giovinazzi is in a good place now.

READ MORE: Raikkonen “excited for 2021” as he prepares for the 20th anniversary of the first GP

He showed signs of agreeing with Raikkonen last season – and was even better than him at times. If he can beat the Finn in the overall standings this year, that will be a feather in his cap and could well extend his stay in F1. That’s why he was full of confidence when the team started – and a confident driver is exactly what Alfa Romeo needs to fight their way back up in midfield.

5. They will turn their attention to the early 2022 doors

Knowing that 2021 will be a challenging campaign ensuring the stability of the rules, it’s no surprise that Alfa Romeo is putting a lot of focus on 2022 to try to take advantage of the rules revision.

READ MORE: 10 Ways The New Rules Of 2022 Will Make Formula 1 Better

While the car unveiled on Monday will look a little different during testing and again at the first race of the season, developments for the coming year will be few and far between as they spend their limited time on wind tunnel testing – and a limited budget due to the cost of cap launching – up 2022.

Of course a lot of teams will do that, so it’s up to Alfa Romeo to make sure the pain is worth it in the short term and that they are doing a better job than their competitors to ensure a better future in the medium to long term.