Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has said he is “in no rush” to look beyond 2023 when his contract with the Sauber F1 team expires.
Alfa Romeo announced last month that its sponsorship deal with the Sauber F1 team will end at the end of the 2023 season.
Alfa Romeo’s announcement came on the same day Audi confirmed its intention to enter F1 in 2026. Some observers saw it as a clumsy attempt to divert attention.
Alfa Romeo will only be able to stay in F1 beyond 2023 if it can agree to a deal with a team that will use Ferrari engines, with Haas being the only option at the moment. The only other possibility is that a newcomer like Andretti agrees to a PU partnership with Ferrari.
Alternatively, other categories could be considered, such as Formula E or the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Like other manufacturers, Alfa Romeo is moving towards electric vehicles, which could influence decisions about the future of motorsport.
“I am completely open to everything,” said Jean-Philippe Imparato.
“By the way, it’s a period that gives me the chance to study anything without pressure. That’s what I have.”
“And even if we have to make a decision by the end of the year, we can see how the business is going in the coming weeks and months and we can make our choices in a calm atmosphere.”
“So I’m not in a rush. I think everything is on the table. We want to find the best compromise between our motorsport DNA and the transition to EVs.”
“What I’m trying to build is this consistency between my history and the necessary existential moves I have to make. And between the history of my DNA and that switch, the clear thing is there is no
Jean-Philippe Imparat, who declined to comment on a possible Sauber-Audi deal, said the timing of the 2023 contract announcement was to “clarify” Sauber’s involvement.
“I think the need for clarity is very important, so what I wanted to send as a message was very simple: one is to renew my contract with Sauber Engineering for 2023.1 One reason is that I’m happy with them.”
“Not only on the business side. On the business side, I’m probably making the best return on my paddock investment. But along the way we’re working together. We’re working on a special edition. Not only that, but we also held special events with GTA owners and Classic owners.We are happy to be together.”
“The second message is to remember that I have an annual contract with Sauber Engineering with an annual evaluation and I can leave at the end of July each year.”
“The third message is that 2024 will be the first year I start offering a 100% EV to Alfa Romeo. need to plan for
“So I told everyone that we need to open a new chapter in our history, a new chapter in our adventure. It’s more than the history of Sauber or motorsport. I’ll take advantage of this context to be clear. Trying to get it. That was our sense of communication.”
Asked if the WEC project was an option for the future, Jean-Philippe Imparato insisted anything is possible.
“There is nothing definitive about 2024. Nothing at all. As of today, my focus is on 2022-23. We can say that we are ready to open the research.”
“And when the day comes that I think I have something that matches my DNA with Alfa Romeo’s Italian sportiness, I’ll be back. I need to be consistent. Italian sportiness, me. It’s a hallmark of Alfa Romeo for
“To be clear, if we stay in Formula 1, we will not run anything but Ferrari engines.”
Category: F1 / Alfa Romeo F1 / Ferrari