According to a report by the Italian media, Alfa Romeo could move away from Sauber and Formula 1 at the end of 2020.
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The Italian car manufacturer became the title sponsor of the Sauber team in 2018. Earlier this year they expanded that relationship and became a unit of their own.
The outfit entered into a technical and commercial partnership with Sauber and then became known as Alfa Romeo Racing.
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In fact, F1 journalist Joe Saward told F1sport.it: “Alfa Romeo is not very successful in the automotive market and it is considered unlikely that the partnership will continue beyond 2020.
“The team’s results this year have been pretty disappointing and it seems that no one really agrees with the others, even though they all smile when the cameras are around.”
He even said that Sauber wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea of being a Ferrari satellite team. In fact, the Hinwil-based team had spoken to Honda about a customer contract. That would have been an inspiring decision as the Japanese engine supplier Red Bull helped it to two victories this season.
According to Saward, Honda could still be interested in starting a relationship with Sauber should Alfa Romeo leave. However, he says it “wouldn’t be the same type of relationship that was discussed prior to Sauber’s decision to team up with Ferrari.”
Speaking of Alfa Romeo, the team got off to a pretty strong start, but its performance has deteriorated. It has reached a point where they are only slightly ahead of Haas F1. The American team is only 7 points behind and there is every chance they can catch up.
However, Alfa Romeo Racing boss Frédéric Vasseur isn’t too concerned about his team’s recent lack of results.
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“There’s no need to panic, it’s a different scenario every time,” he told Motorsport.com.
“I would be very concerned if we had a second break in qualifying, but that’s not the story. The race may be difficult to manage, but it’s easier to find the pace in the race than in qualifying. “
“In Spa, for example, we were in turn 1 P5, in Monza we were in the third quarter. Sometimes for a tenth plus or minus you get the feeling that the situation is completely different. We always have to be very careful with it. “
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