Frédéric Vasseur says talks are ongoing with the Stellantis Group about extending the partnership between the Sauber F1 Team and Alfa Romeo Racing beyond 2021.
The Stellantis Group was formed following the merger of the Fiat Chrysler Group and the PSA Group, a merger that put the partnership with the Formula 1 team at risk. The initial partnership began back in 2018 when Alfa Romeo became a sponsor of Sauber, with the team then changing name in 2019 to Alfa Romeo Racing.
However Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and the CEO of Sauber Motorsport, remains confident that the Alfa Romeo name will remain in Formula 1 beyond this season with his outfit.
“I think that we have a very good and positive discussion with them to extend the contract, and I hope that we will be [continuing the partnership],” said Vasseur to Motorsport Italy. “They have to reorganise a little bit the situation on their side [after the merger], but I am quite happy and quite positive with the last declaration of Stellantis about the brand Alfa Romeo.
“They want to be very supportive, and I think Alfa Romeo the brand is a huge asset for the group. It is a huge asset for F1 also at the end, because it’s an iconic brand, that [was] in F1 from the beginning. I hope that we will be able to put everything together.”
The Stellantis Group announced last month that they will be investing in Alfa Romeo for at least ten years, and it is believed that the Formula 1 team will be a part of this investment.
“We’re giving each a chance, giving each a time window of ten years and giving funding for ten years to do a core model strategy,” Stellantis CEO Carlos Taveres is quoted as saying by Motor1.com during Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit.
“The CEOs need to be clear in brand promise, customers, targets, and brand communications. If they succeed, great. Each brand is given the chance to do something different and appeal to customers.”
