What an Alfa Romeo F1 exit would really mean – Car News

Stellantis appears poised to accelerate its plans to electrify the classic Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands.

Motorsport publication The Race reports that Alfa Romeo could leave Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season and switch to the all-electric Formula E category. And if not with Alfa Romeo, it could be Maserati in Formula E as Stellantis seeks to improve the electrical properties of its famous Italian brands.

The report comes just weeks after former Peugeot CEO Jean-Philipe Imparato took over the helm of Alfa Romeo as part of the Stellantis merger. Both a racing fanatic and a proponent of the electric vehicle, Imparato was instrumental in Peugeot’s return to Le Mans with a hybrid hypercar. It’s on the record that all of motorsport needs to be electrified if it is worthwhile for automakers to have customers switch to EV road cars.

Formula E will introduce new “Gen3” rules for the 2022-23 season, with more powerful cars that can be charged faster thanks to 800-volt batteries. These rules are not only intended to make the race more exciting by renewing manufacturers’ interest in the category as a test bench for future technologies.

Alfa Romeo has taken the switch to electric vehicles noticeably slowly, especially when compared to its new partners Peugeot and Citroen. who already offer a number of electrified models in Europe. In contrast, Alfa Romeo’s first hybrid is due this year, the new plug-in small SUV Tonale. The first fully electric model is not expected to arrive until 2022, when a yet-to-be-named compact SUV with Peugeot technology will be used under the Tonale.

Maserati has already announced plans to overhaul its entire line of electric versions of all new models, including the MC20 sports car. The company has developed a brand new modular electric powertrain called Folgore (Italian for lightning) that includes three electric motors and an 800-volt electrical system.

While the entry into F1 helped Alfa Romeo establish itself in the world market, sales of Giulia and Stelvio remain slow. A move to Formula E could help set the brand on a new path with the launch of its first electric models.

Regardless of whether Stellantis chooses Alfa Romeo or Maserati to head the Formula E program, it is clear that the brand is looking to an electric future on both the road and the racetrack.