Alfa Romeo extends partnership with Sauber Motorsport for 2021 Formula One season


 

Turin, October 29, 2020

Alfa Romeo and Sauber Motorsport will join forces, once again, for the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The partnership between two of the most recognized brands in motorsport started in 2018, when Alfa Romeo joined the team as Title Sponsor. In the three years of operative collaboration so far, the Team has conquered important results, finishing the championships in eighth position twice and being in the battle to finish in this position again in 2020. True to its long-lasting spirit of competitiveness, Alfa Romeo has taken up the challenge once more.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and CEO Sauber Motorsport AG
“The extension of our relationship with Alfa Romeo is a true statement of intent from both parties. In Sauber, Alfa Romeo found a committed, performance-driven partner to which they could entrust their brand: we are honoured to carry the heritage and past success of Alfa Romeo in our name. Both parties always intended for this relationships to bear fruit in the long term: we have laid some solid foundations in the last three season and we aim to reap the rewards of this work in 2021 and beyond.”

Mike Manley, CEO FCA
“Racing and performance are at the core of Alfa Romeo’s DNA. The brand was practically born on a racetrack and today we continue to compete at the most technologically advanced level of motorsport. The partnership with Sauber also allows our customers to benefit from exclusive racing know-how, as it is the case of the all-new Giulia GTA and GTAm, which incorporate Sauber Engineering’s technical input particularly as it relates to advanced aerodynamics.”


Exclusive livery for a Major Occasion

To celebrate this announcement and to pay tribute to all the fans of Italian racing cars, Alfa Romeo will display an exclusive livery in the C39 race car at the upcoming Imola Grand Prix, a proud venue for Alfa Romeo and Italian motorsport tradition alike. 

Designed by Centro Stile, the livery will display the Italian flag in a straight flash on the upper section of the engine cover and on the rear wing end plate, blending into the theme of the 2020 “speed pixel” livery with its linear and dynamic graphic treatment. 

The exclusive logo for the 110th anniversary of Alfa Romeo appears in a prominent position, also on the engine cover, alongside the wording “Welcome back, Imola”, recognizing the circuit’s position as one of the most iconic ones on the tour and as one of the greatest Italian tracks. From Touring and Sport categories to Formula One, Imola has been a venue for major Alfa Romeo victories in all three categories.

Alfa Romeo and Sauber Group: a technical and commercial partnership

Alfa Romeo and Sauber Group partnership extends beyond racing. The collaboration allows Sauber Engineering’s technical expertise to be transferred to Alfa Romeo road car production, leveraging the know-how of Sauber’s engineering and aerodynamics departments as well as its proficiency with composite and additive manufacturing.

Alfa Romeo also entrusts Sauber Engineering with the production of most of the carbon components in the GTA and GTAm, especially those that affect aerodynamic impact. These include the new front bumper and adjustable front splitter, the side skirts, the diffuser, the GTA spoiler and the GTAm aerowing. The Giulia GTAm – thanks to its manually adjustable front and rear wings – can adapt its aerodynamic performance to any kind of track or road, precisely following the requests and preferences of its driver. The wind tunnel’s aerodynamic research was not limited to the wing; it also worked on the underbody, which – as on the Giulia Quadrifoglio – is fully faired. The GTA and GTAm also benefit from a special new air extractor capable of increasing the car’s ground effect, thus guaranteeing excellent road holding at high speeds. In particular, on the Giulia GTAm the most intense aerodynamic configuration is able to develop double the pressure compared to the Giulia GTA, and a triple increase compared to the Giulia Quadrifoglio, which previously represented the benchmark in its segment.

110 years of history on circuits all over the world

A year after its inception on June 24, 1910, the Alfa Romeo brand made its official debut in the racing world by winning the first Regularity Race in Modena. Since then, its rich sporting heritage has been enriched even further by victories and top-three finishes in many international championships. The bond between Alfa Romeo and Formula 1 has written the history of motorsport: the Biscione – as Alfa Romeo is known in Italy – won the first Grand Prix and the inaugural edition of the ultimate category of motor racing in 1950, with Nino Farina on board an Alfa Romeo Gran Premio Tipo 158 “Alfetta”, a triumph repeated in 1951 by Juan Manuel Fangio in the Alfetta 159. Renewing this commitment also serves as the ideal way to continue the celebrations of the brand’s 110th anniversary.


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