The C41 Alfa Romeo, the latest contender created by Sauber Motorsport, which manages and operates the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team in the Formula One championship, saw the light in Warsaw just minutes after noon.
Click here to subscribe to our print edition!
A spectacular ceremony in the impressive setting of the Grand Theatre, in Poland’s capital city, saw the attendance of a limited number of senior team personnel – with media, fans and team employees being invited to watch virtually in respect of the local Covid regulations. Team drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, and reserve driver, Robert Kubica, entered the stage as the C41 Alfa Romeo, in a striking new livery, was revealed in all its glory.
Featuring a novel colour scheme, designed by Alfa Romeo’s Centro Stile and featuring the now-traditional red and white colours of the team, the car, designed under the coordination of Technical Director, Jan Monchaux, represents an evolution of the C39 that competed in the 2020 season. Owing to the restrictions imposed by the regulations, the car carries over many of the components of its predecessor, while still striking with its renewed appearance, in particular in regard to the nosecone, an area on which the team chose to focus its development tokens. Under the bodywork, a new Ferrari engine lies in wait, ready to roar in less than a week, when the team embarks onto a new season with the C41’s shakedown in Barcelona on Friday.
Co-Title partner, ORLEN, features prominently on the bodywork, retaining its position on the sidepods, on the Halo and on the rear wing; the Alfa Romeo logo, featuring the Visconti snake-and-cross crest, is flanked by the Quadrifoglio – four-leaf clover – traditionally associated with Alfa Romeo’s racing efforts, and the logo of Autodelta, the brand’s legendary competition department. The logos of returning and new partners adorn the bodywork, contributing to the creation of one of the standout cars on the grid – a classic design that embodies the passion and tradition of the marques it represents.
Having unveiled its latest creation, the focus of the team now switches to the car’s shakedown and the crucial three days of pre-season testing in the desert setting of Sakhir (March 12-14). This year’s reduced testing session in Bahrain will represent the sole chance for the team to fine-tune its product ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and CEO Sauber Motorsport AG:
“The launch of a new car is always an emotional moment, the culmination of months of effort from everyone back at the factory and the start of a new adventure. I think the philosophy upon which the team is based remains the same – we have to do a better job tomorrow than we are doing today. We finished last season in P8, so we have to target a better result in 2021. To do so, we have to keep improving in each department, trackside and back at HQ. Every team on the grid has very high expectations right now: all the teams expect to do a good job in the winter and to be in a good position for the first race, but soon it will be the time for everyone to show their cards.”
Jan Monchaux, Technical Director Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN:
“The C41 is the result of a very unusual situation in Formula One, in which the regulations have made us unable to develop an entirely new car for this year. For this reason, our 2021 car shares a lot of common parts with the C39, with the exception of those which the regulations forced us to change – such as the floor – and the nosecone, in which we invested our two development tokens. This means we will know the car much better than usual when we get to testing, but it’s still going to be crucial to make the most of those three days to verify that reality matches our expectations and to get to know the new tyres. We are ready for the new season and we can’t wait to see our new car on the track.”
Antonio Giovinazzi interview:
Q. Welcome back Antonio. The new season is nearly here, how do you feel about it?
A. The winter went quickly, and I am really looking forward to the new season. This will be my third season with the team, I am very happy to continue our history together. Of course, we know it may once again be a tricky one, but I am confident the hard work we all did during the winter in the factory will pay off. On my side, I have trained very hard and I am just looking forward to being in the car for the first test and then finally for the first race.
Q. You are now a driver with two full seasons under your belt. Will you approach the season differently because of it?
A. Having two full seasons with the team means that I already know much better the people around me, so that our work can be better. Of course, the target is still the same: scoring a lot of points together. My dream would be to score a podium with this team, which would be at the top of our list, but first, we need to see where we are in terms of performance and speed. I am confident that we can do very well this year.
Q. The winter break was shorter than usual, how did this affect your preparations?
A. Last season ended in the middle of December, so the winter break was really short. This means we had less time to prepare, both the car and myself as well, but in the end, it was the same for everyone. We just need to be as prepared as we can when it comes to the first race.
Q. How was the break for you – did you train, recharge your batteries?
A. Of course, the winter break is the time when you can see your family and spend time with them, especially after such a busy season as last year; I also managed to do a lot of physical work with my personal trainer, cycling a lot and also in the gym. Right now, with the restrictions brought on by COVID, that was not as easy as it would normally be, but I think I have done the best job possible in these circumstances. Now the track will tell!
Q. Have you got any specific targets going into the new season?
A. Like every year, the target this season is to do as well as possible and score the maximum amount of points; as a driver, I want to keep improving, like I did last year compared with the first season, and do another step forward. As I have said before, scoring a podium would be the ultimate dream: it is what this team deserves.
Q. Testing is much shorter in 2021 – you’ll be in the car for less than two days. What are the key elements to work on in such a short time?
We’ll only have three days for two drivers this year, which means just a day and a half for each of us. That won’t be easy but fortunately, because of the regulations and our team’s stability, we are in a good situation. The car will be quite similar to last year, so we can focus immediately on trying to do as many laps and collect as much data as we can and be ready in top shape for the first race.
Kimi Räikkönen interview:
Q. A new season is here – how does it feel to be preparing for another year and what are your expectations?
A. We’re launching the car today, we’ll be testing in less than a month – the new season is really coming in quickly. We’ll just need to see how it goes: see how the car is when we get to try it and do the best we can in testing. Obviously, there have been some changes in the rules, even though the basic car is the same: the chassis is frozen but we have a new engine, some new elements, so we have to find out how the package works together and go from there. Besides that, the preparations are always the same every year. It’s nice to get started again.
Q. It was a shorter break than usual this year but hopefully still enjoyable. What have you done since we last saw you in Abu Dhabi?
A. I haven’t been doing much since the end of last season. We had Christmas and New Year’s right after Abu Dhabi, so we went to Finland for a while before coming back to Switzerland. I’ve been spending time with the family, doing normal things, training and visiting the factory a few times. In general, very basic home things – soon we will start travelling again, so I made the most of the time off.
Q. We have seen you do a lot of winter sports on social media. How have you been approaching the season, training-wise? After a season with so many races in a short time, did you change anything, from a physical point of view, in the way you are preparing for the season?
A. No, not really. Obviously, every year the preparation varies a little bit depending on the weather conditions, any teamwork we may have to do that might require more travelling – my plan really depends on these different factors. I mostly do things that feel good for me and they are very similar every year. I don’t have a fixed schedule, there are no big plans made in advance. I enjoy training, but if one day I feel that I do not want to train, I will train the next day. It’s not the end of the world!
Q. Third year with the same team, the same team-mate – continuity is the word. How is your relationship with both evolving?
A. Obviously I knew Antonio already from our days back at Ferrari. This made it quite easy for both of us when we became team-mates. Of course, the more years we spend together, the better we get to know each other. We always had a good relationship and we have some good fun together. Our main objective is hopefully having better results as a team this year: Antonio and I are working to move the team forward – let’s see how this season goes.
Q. Testing will be a lot shorter this season – only one and a half-day in the car for each driver. What are your priorities?
A. We will find out what the main priorities are soon enough: of course, the team always has many things they want to try. The drivers may prefer to do one thing, like trying different set-ups, so you need to find a compromise so that you get the most out of these days. This year, with only one and a half days per driver, there cannot be any reliability issue – you can’t afford to lose half a day or a full day as you will be left with not much to work with. It’ll be important to pick and choose the right things to tests, trying to spread it over the three days: I am hoping for good mileage and to finish the week feeling positive.
Robert Kubica interview:
Q. Welcome back, Robert. A second season working with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN as a reserve driver, how has your position evolved since you joined the team?
A. I’m happy to be back for a second season in Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN as a reserve driver. As a driver, you always would like to race, but for this year my position in the team remains the same as last year. Of course, the collaboration is getting stronger and stronger as time goes by; last year I joined the team and now I know everyone much better, which is going to help the work we do. 2020 was a difficult year because of COVID-19, but we stuck together as a team, we worked together and definitely, we hope this season is going to be a better one for us.
Q. You were in the car several times last year, alongside your work in the simulator. What can we expect in 2021?
A. My role within the team is quite clear and reflects what I did last year when you could see me driving during some FP1 sessions last year and also in pre-season testing in Barcelona. Of course, as a team, we have started working on our simulator, a technology that is becoming more and more relevant in our sport: it is still a relatively new tool for the team, so right now we are improving it with the aim to turn it into a very powerful technical tool for development. What happens trackside is also really important for me, and hopefully you can expect to see me back in the car soon, even though this year’s winter testing reductions have limited the number of days available to the team. Personally, being in the new car is very important to try the feel of the new car, in order to help with the correlation work for the sim.
Q. You have already raced this year, in the Daytona 24H. How do these experiences in other series help you in your role?
A. They are really useful. As of 2020, I will be racing in another series alongside my commitment with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. Whereas I raced in DTM last year, this season I will have a full ELMS campaign: it’s quite a different type of races and a different approach because they are endurance races, but as a driver, you want to race, you want to feel the adrenaline. In Formula One, my position is very clear, but I didn’t want to stick to just one discipline: in the end, racing is my life. Actively competing also helps me keep sharp and at the best of my abilities, which in turns is beneficial for the work I do with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. Certainly, running two campaigns in COVID times is not easy, both for the logistics and for the compressed calendars: hopefully this year we will have a smoother season compared to the last one, but in any case, it will be an interesting challenge to be competitive in everything I do. No matter what, my priority is always to give my best, whatever I am doing.
Q. Even though you didn’t race in 2020, you retained a cult following among the fans. What does it mean to have so much support?
A. For sure, the fans were what we missed the most about last year, not only in Formula 1 but generally in motorsports. Fans play such an important role and I have to say that Formula 1 is not the same without them on the grandstands. Hopefully, we can welcome them back sooner rather than later. On a personal side, it’s always nice to see Polish flags in the stands – I even saw some when there were no spectators. I don’t know how Polish fans manage to do so, but obviously, it’s something very nice and it really makes me feel their support. I really appreciate that.
Q. Of course, this year’s team launch is in Poland – a first for your country. What does it mean to you?
A. It means a lot and I am really looking forward to this day. Since I became the first Polish Formula One driver, the sport has grown a lot there and this makes me proud. There has always been a lot of passion for motorsport in general in Poland, and of course, ORLEN is doing a great job to promote the sport. Having the first-ever team launch in the country is really special, I am sure it will be a great boost not only for the fans but for the country as a whole. I am proud of representing my country and to work with ORLEN to promote Poland in the world, and I am sure the launch will be a spectacular show.