Alfa Romeo exits Formula 1

Alfa Romeo won’t be on the Formula 1 World Championship grid in 2024, as their partnership with Sauber Motorsport has concluded. The connection between the Italian brand and the Swiss engineering squad was always a finite one - the end of the deal was announced back in 2022 and came into effect at the final round of the 2023 season.

Alfa Romeo’s second stint in Formula 1 (the first was from 1950 to 1988) lasted five years as a constructor (the 2018 season was as title sponsor only) and produced a best result in the Constructors’ World Championship of sixth in 2022. The best finish in the Drivers’ Championship across the same period was tenth for Valtteri Bottas in 2022. No Alfa Romeo F1 driver achieved a win or even a podium, although Kimi Raikkonen did finish fourth in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. The best for Bottas (to date) was a fifth in 2022.

Other drivers across Alfa Romeo’s 2019-2023 stint include Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica (a two-round fill-in drive for Raikkonen in 2021) and Zhou Guanyu. Both incumbent drivers from Alfa Romeo F1 Team, Bottas and Guanyu, will remain with Sauber for 2024.

Ahead of its last race at Abu Dhabi in November, Alfa Romeo thanked everyone who was part of the project, including the late Sergio Marchionne, who backed the initial Alfa-Sauber partnership in 2018.

Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said: "For Alfa Romeo, this F1 adventure represented an international showcase at the highest level, as well as a profound human and sporting experience. 

"In my humble opinion, the return on investment from work we have done here has been the most positive in my entire career. The benefits in terms of visibility serve as a benchmark for the entire Stellantis group.

"Alfa Romeo has competition in its DNA and will return to thrill its fans as soon as possible, when the conditions are right," Imparato finished.

That return will likely be in the World Endurance Championship, possibly in a joint venture with Peugeot who are also part of the Stellantis group and already active in WEC.

For Sauber, after the confusing ‘Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’ rebrand was announced in December (and soon dropped) , it was revealed in January they will run as ‘Stake F1 Team’.