Alfa Romeo back on the grid in 2018?
#1

When this was first mooted back at the start of 2016 it seemed a very, very long way off, but Marchionne seems keen, and has been pushing this very hard throughout 2017. It appears Haas have flatly refused the link up (and the baggage of having to bed in Ferrari’s junior drivers) it now seems we might see the red white and green Alfa livery on the Sauber:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/saube...rs-980978/

I for one would welcome the name back to the sport, and the boost in competitively it would give Sauber (if the rumoured gearboxes etc thing is also true). They’d also potentially benefit from using Maranello’s wind tunnels and FD Center. Plus seeing Leclerc and Giovinazzi on the grid would be great. Sad to lose Wehrlein, but not so sad to see Marcus go.
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#2

Personally, for me I can`t see it happening in 2018 but hopefully the following year.

"You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike than other people do in all of their life"....Marco Simoncelli
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#3

(22-11-2017, 02:08 PM)forzaferrari Wrote:  Personally, for me I can`t see it happening in 2018 but hopefully the following year.

I would have agreed with you, but it appears to be picking up steam, a few respected outlets are now saying everything is in place for this to happen, it’s literally up to the Sauber board to sign it off. From their perspective it has to be a win win. Major car brand involvement, bringing cash and tech boost, and increased attractiveness to other potential sponsors, and two very talented young drivers both of whom will have their wages paid by Ferrari. It might still be a long shot... but it’d be great to see it happen. It might also force Mercedes to seriously consider funding a junior team as well. Truth is the F1 grid needs to be closer to 26 cars to ensure there’s enough space for young talent to come through the ranks, it’s why the prospect of Porsche and the VW Group getting involved in F1 is so exciting, they’ve retained their WEC staff, and facilities, and thus the ability to produce their own car from the ground up and not just be an engine supplier to a current team.
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#4

Yes Jody, it would be great to see the Alfa team up and running, I am just going on time frame etc, even with all the input from Ferrari we are 3 months(ish) away from testing and to have everything in play in that time frame is/would be nothing short of a miracle (providing they are not going to just slap a different colour of paint and a few new graphics on a Sauber) . If it is going to happen why not put it on hold for another 12 months and try and do it right.

(when all said and done I do hope they make it work and the Alfa F1 cars are a bit more reliable than the road cars lol)

"You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike than other people do in all of their life"....Marco Simoncelli
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#5

Didn't Sauber already strike a deal for the proper Ferrari engines in 2018 anyway? In that case, technically speaking at least, it will just be the case of a new paint job!


Purple Banana (a.k.a John or JB  Smile )
"The flowers of victory belong in many vases." - Michael Schumacher
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#6

"I for one would welcome the name back to the sport,"

I totally agree, but I do have an issue with this - does this then mean we lose the Sauber name from the sport, as a big fan of independent teams, though I suppose you could question just how independent they really are now - I think just Williams and force India really, but that aside it's always sad for me to see a privateer team name disappear, at least when it was sold to current owners - they kept the name, I get the attraction for Sauber themselves to do it,

but as you say I think, both SF and Merc should just stop pissing about and set up an out and out junior team

This is for example where I have some issues with SF again and Merc, they use their customer teams for data, but also to keep them in their place

But Renault are playing a smarter (better) game I feel, by promising their customers the same engine, so there will be real competition between themselves and RBR, though I know their deal is coming to an end

A WCC - for the independent teams now is basically coming 4th - next year with the resurgent Renault, it could be 5th or 6th

Sorry, rambled off there a bit but you know what I mean, nothing new to yous guys but Ferrari own Alfa - FIAT - own Ferrari - and obviously Merc are Merc - so it's not like these car giants couldn't do it

"I Say, I say . . . . The satisfaction you have in a few minutes when you become champion. It's enough to live forever 
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#7

Although I like the brand Alfa Romeo, I not sure I like this idea.

First, we will lose Sauber, a brand in F1 I have more sympathy for then Alfa Romeo.
Second, It will be a junior Ferrari team with a Ferrari engine, but with Alfa Romeo name. I don't like a farce. Call things by the name that they are. If it's a Ferrari, don't call it Alfa.
Third, they said it would be a breading ground for young Italian drivers. I care less for nationality in F1 and don't want them to find the best Italian driver, I rather see them searching for the best driver (don't care wich nationality). This is what they told the Italian press, so maybe it's just to tell them something they like to here. Still, don't like that idea.
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#8

Fog you know that the two Williams drivers got the Mk.III engine ahead of Bottas right? Mercedes have been feeding their teams current engines from the start. Ferrari have as well, Sauber just couldn’t afford the current Ferrari engines this year... plus i’m Not sure RBR or TR would agree with you over the Renault engines being ‘equal’ this year.

Any way, as I understand it it’d just be closer technical partnership, and rebadged Ferrari engines, and a change in team name to Sauber Alfa Romeo, or Alfa Romeo Sauber. Plus additional sponsorship money and two really good young drivers, with their wages paid. As for privateers:

Red Bull
McLaren
Williams
Force India
Haas
Sauber (even if carrying rebadge Ferrari engines)

That’s 6 of the current 10 teams, with the following as full ‘works’ teams:

Mercedes
Ferrari
Renault
Toro Rosso (Honda)

And realistically TR are still a privateer, more linked with the RBR program right now.

Purple-banana yeah they’re essentially getting Ferrari PU’s next year. This would just be a re-badge, and potentially gearboxes and other parts they’re allowed to sell to other teams, something Sauber really, really need.
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#9

(22-11-2017, 05:47 PM)Jody Barton Wrote:  Fog you know that the two Williams drivers got the Mk.III engine ahead of Bottas right? Mercedes have been feeding their teams current engines from the start. Ferrari have as well, Sauber just couldn’t afford the current Ferrari engines this year... plus i’m Not sure RBR or TR would agree with you over the Renault engines being ‘equal’ this year.

Any way, as I understand it it’d just be closer technical partnership, and rebadged Ferrari engines, and a change in team name to Sauber Alfa Romeo, or Alfa Romeo Sauber. Plus additional sponsorship money and two really good young drivers, with their wages paid. As for privateers:

Red Bull
McLaren
Williams
Force India
Haas
Sauber (even if carrying rebadge Ferrari engines)

That’s 6 of the current 10 teams, with the following as full ‘works’ teams:

Mercedes
Ferrari
Renault
Toro Rosso (Honda)

And realistically TR are still a privateer, more linked with the RBR program right now.

Purple-banana yeah they’re essentially getting Ferrari PU’s next year. This would just be a re-badge, and potentially gearboxes and other parts they’re allowed to sell to other teams, something Sauber really, really need.

no didn't know that on the engines - but always happy to be put right mate, cheers I guess, while of course your right I was excluding McLaren/RBR due to having huge resources and the like, and huge budgets as opposed to Williams/Force India - and yeah of course Haas, but didn't they pretty much buy anything and everything they could from SF - I guess my main point is the links skew the racing a bit, but maybe I'm wrong and it's more just budget

McLaren and RBR can stand on their own two feet, albeit requiring an engine supplier, the rest are basically in another series due to budgets - Williams and Force India do a good job with what they have, 

But on the name front, that would be totally fine with me "Sauber Alfa" - "Alfa Sauber" sounds good to me, though I guess they're gonna want the "Remeo" bit in - just when you put it up, it sounded like Alfa would take over

feel free to call me out on anything dumb I say though - oh wait you just did - haha - it's how we learn after all, now if we could just get that message through to the cretans on sky, haha Smile

"I Say, I say . . . . The satisfaction you have in a few minutes when you become champion. It's enough to live forever 
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#10

I'd love for the Alfa name to be back in F1, but it would be much more exciting if it were a proper new entry rather than a takeover / re-branding. We need more teams, more seats in order to get some of the exciting new talent into the sport quicker.
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