Alfa Romeo will be able to ease the wallets a bit after securing new sponsorship deals. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur said this will allow them to work close to F1’s existing budget cap.
F1 introduced spending caps for all teams to bring the field together more competitively. The 2021 cap was $145 million. It was further reduced to $140 million for the upcoming 2022 campaign.
Vasseur discussed his team’s financial situation during an interview with Autosport, where he said:
“We still have some negotiations going on, on the sponsor side and so on, but I think we’ll be very close to the budget ceiling. This is a mega opportunity for the company. I’m convinced not only to talk about the company, but also to know for the team that one is at the limit. It’s a different approach, a different mentality. It will be a good boost for everyone.”
In addition to a financial boost, Alfa Romeo is also looking forward to Valtteri Bottas working with Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou. The mix of experience and youth that the pair of riders bring is something Vasseur is counting on to work to their advantage.
At Alfa Romeo, Bottas hopes to maintain a partnership with Zhou similar to the one he shared with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Alfa Romeo boss hopes Guanyu Zhou will emulate Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Frédéric Vasseur has revealed he hopes Guanyu Zhou will follow in the footsteps of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
Zhou is the first Chinese driver to secure an F1 seat and will make his debut with Vasseur’s team. In this regard, he will already follow in Leclerc’s footsteps. The Monegasque driver was at Alfa Romeo before his high-profile move to Ferrari.
Vasseur expects Zhou to disrupt the grid like Verstappen and Leclerc mentioned above. Both drivers did not let their age get in the way of their driving style. He said:
“If you look at the last few seasons it seems to be working for the young kids. With Max Verstappen he came into F1 without much background. with Karl [Leclerc], he did well the first season. With [George] russell, with [Lando] Norris, you did well in the first season. We have different tools than we used to have with the simulator, but I also think that the young kids are much more mature today than they were 20 years ago.”
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Zhou will not have a chance to race in his country of China in 2022, but the event intends to return for the 2023 calendar.
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