Season results: Alfa Romeo / Sauber

The history of the Alfa Romeo brand in Formula 1 spanned two conventional five-year periods: from 1980 to 1984 and from 2019 to 2023. Twice a team with this name finished in sixth place, but more often it was lower, such as this season.

It hasn’t been a factory team for the past five years. It was Sauber who got a title partner and allowed Alfa Romeo to enter Formula 1 with a relatively modest budget. They didn’t develop anything, but they were able to bring their partners and sponsors to look at the brand livery, and the cars were still built in Hinwil with money from Swiss investors from Longbow Finance.

Ninth place is an ordinary result for Sauber, a failure for a well-known car brand, but they didn’t push too hard. “For Athos this is too much, and for the Count of la Fère too little.”

The parties announced the end of the cooperation long before the end of the championship. Investors have found a better path for Sauber by agreeing with Audi, but next season will be an intermediate season – both without Alfa Romeo and without Audi, but led by Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Andreas Seidl and technical director James Key – the line up is very authoritative.

They decided to keep the driver line-up, although Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou spent the current season sluggishly. Yes, almost everything depends on the car, but at Williams Alex Albon single-handedly pulled the team to seventh place, while Alfa Romeo, which is now set to change its name again to Sauber, remained in ninth place.

The team can safely change drivers and the result will not change. They will probably change with the arrival of Audi.

Valtteri needs to shave his mustache and make an effort to stay in the ranks. Otherwise, everything is limited to Finnish rallies in a snow-covered forest, interesting only for participants and local residents, and the sale of personalized burgers in his hometown.

In Finland, near the town of Nastola, where Valtteri was born, there is an inconspicuous roadside café, completely devoid of any outward shine and glamour. It looks like an ordinary driver’s tavern, it is called Lähde-Kioski and has stood for more than 30 years next to highway 12, which goes from Rauma to Kouvola via Tampere and Lahti. However, this is the only place in the world where hungry travelers can try the Bottas Burger, served there under exclusive arrangement with Valtteri since his Formula 1 days.

The most successful stage for the team was the Qatar stage, where both drivers earned points, but the word ‘successful’ is very conditional. Absolutely everyone achieved six points per stage this year.

One of the biggest problems at the end of the season were the doubts about the collaboration with Audi. It is clear that the results do not suit the Germans, they have already played this game and understand that achieving acceptable results requires huge investments and a lot of time – and these factors also do not guarantee anything. Just ask Toyota. Against the backdrop of world events and the growing popularity of Chinese brands, investments in the racing show business seem very risky.

It is clear what the parties will think, but Sauber has no room to maneuver. Payments from FOM for ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship only reimburse costs. In principle, this is sufficient for the team to exist.

Next season will be a transition season. And for the future of the team, and for the decision-making, and for the riders. Many believe that if the alliance with Audi collapses, Sauber will leave Formula 1…