Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake unveiled its 2023 challenger Tuesday morning, the C43, at a launch event held jointly in Zurich and at the team’s headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland.
After the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Williams Racing revealed their liveries, and Oracle Red Bull Racing unveiled their RB19 car – albeit one that looked almost identical to last year’s title winner – Alfa Romeo became the fourth team to appear in the launch season so far. The C43 has a striking and new-look livery; the team have dropped their usual red and white colours and have adopted a new and impressive black and red one. Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will be hoping the new look can lead them to an improvement in the standings of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, which they finished sixth in last season.
“Bringing a car to life is a long process which touches every department of a racing team, therefore it’s a moment of great pride to see it unveiled today,” said Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the Managing Director of Sauber Group and Team Representative.
“We chose to do it in front of our fans, close to our home, because the launch of a new car is not only a moment to state your objectives for the season ahead: it’s also a time to give back to the people who have supported you, be it in the grandstands, in front of the TV or back at the factory, and express our gratitude for their passion and their belief in our project.
“Our new car is the results of months of work, but today is just the beginning of a journey: we need to keep working hard, with humility and dedication, to bring performance to the track. Everyone in the team is committed to this target and we are confident we will reap the rewards of our work.”
As well as the new colour scheme, the car includes Alfa Romeo’s new title sponsor, Stake, regularly across the car. The car is still being powered by the fast Ferrari power unit and will have several updates and complete new parts, with the team still showing a steep improvement curve in terms of development.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved over these last months, because creating a new car is always a massive effort from the team,” said Jan Monchaux, the Technical Director of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake.
“This car is an evolution of last year’s, reflecting the new regulations and introducing major changes in the areas where we found improvements to be needed. I hope it’s going to be quicker than the successful car we had last year, that’s what matters most, and more reliable as well: we have put a lot of effort in this direction. Now, it’s time to get to the track and see how this car performs. I’m happy to get back to racing and I’m confident there will be much more to come from us soon.”
Bottas continues with Alfa Romeo for 2023 as their lead driver and will be hoping for a competitive package to allow him to score points for the team. When speaking about the new livery Bottas said, “I think it’s stunning, and a fine evolution from last year’s one.”
The ex-Mercedes driver will look to build on a successful first season with the team and has backed himself and the team to do well in 2023.
“I am confident we have it in ourselves to aim for even higher results this year. I cannot wait to go back to racing, I am fully charged and eager to get the new season started.”
On the other side of the garage, Zhou will be wanting to continue his development after a steady first season in the sport that saw him pick up multiple point finishes, especially early in the season.
The Chinese driver is raring to go and said, “It is great to see the efforts paying off, and I cannot wait to get started! I have seen the great amount of work that has been put into bringing the car from paper to reality.”
This will be Zhou’s second season in the sport and he will be hoping to make progress and earn himself a seat in the series for years to come, and he thinks he has the right tools to do so with Alfa Romeo over the next year.
“I feel part of a great family and a great team, and I am determined to do my best and push the limits to achieve the best results possible.”
The next season launch event will be on Saturday 11th February, with Scuderia AlphaTauri revealing their 2023 challenger.
