Sauber F1 Team has reached a multi-year technical and commercial partnership agreement with Alfa Romeo. The Italian car manufacturer, which is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), will be joining the Sauber F1 Team as Title Sponsor from 2018 onwards. By doing so, Alfa Romeo is returning to Formula One after more than 30 years of absence from the sport.
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The partnership, which includes strategic, commercial and technological cooperation between Alfa Romeo and the Sauber F1 Team, will enable the exchange of engineering and technical know-how, and provide new opportunities for the two organizations within Formula One and beyond. From 2018, the team will be known as the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. The 2018 F1 car will bear the Alfa Romeo logo and will be equipped with the 2018 Ferrari power units.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles:
“This agreement with the Sauber F1 Team is a significant step in the reshaping of the Alfa Romeo brand, which will return to Formula 1 after an absence of more than 30 years. A storied marque that has helped make the history of this sport, Alfa Romeo will join other major automakers that participate in Formula 1. The brand itself will also benefit from the sharing of technology and strategic know-how with a partner of the Sauber F1 Team’s undisputed experience. The Alfa Romeo engineers and technicians, who have already demonstrated their capabilities with the newly-launched models, Giulia and Stelvio, will have the opportunity to make that experience available to the Sauber F1 Team. At the same time, Alfa Romeo fans will once again have the opportunity to support an automaker that is determined to begin writing an exciting new chapter in its unique, legendary sporting history.”
Pascal Picci, Chairman, Sauber Holding AG:
“We are very pleased to welcome Alfa Romeo to the Sauber F1 Team. Alfa Romeo has a long history of success in Grand Prix racing, and we are very proud that this internationally renowned company has chosen to work with us for its return to the pinnacle of motorsport. Working closely with a car manufacturer is a great opportunity for the Sauber Group to further develop its technology and engineering projects. We are confident that together we can bring the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team great success, and look forward to a long and successful partnership.”
About Alfa Romeo and Formula One
Alfa Romeo took part in Formula One from 1950 until 1988, as both a constructor and engine supplier. Already in its debut years in 1950 and in 1951, Alfa Romeo won the inaugural World Championship of Drivers with Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio. From 1961 until 1979, Alfa Romeo participated as an engine supplier for several F1 teams. After returning in 1979 as a constructor, Alfa Romeo ranked 6th as best result in the constructors’ championship in 1983. The company withdrew from Formula One in 1985, returning as Title Sponsor of the Sauber F1 Team after a 30-year absence.
About Alfa Romeo and FCA
Alfa Romeo is a historic brand of FCA Group. Since its founding in Milan, Italy, in 1910, Alfa Romeo has designed and crafted some of the most stylish and exclusive cars in automotive history. That tradition lives on today as Alfa Romeo continues to take a unique and innovative approach to designing automobiles. In every Alfa Romeo, technology and passion converge to produce a true work of art. Fully reviving Alfa Romeo’s spirit and maximising its global appeal has been one of FCA’s priorities. Following a clear and well-defined strategy, Alfa Romeo is writing a new chapter in its more than century-long history that represents an extraordinary opportunity to realise the brand’s full potential. Today, Alfa Romeo is a true showcase of the Group’s best resources, talent and technological know-how. Alfa Romeo is winning the hearts of a new generation and retaking its rightful position as one of the world’s most desired premium brands. It is, once again, one of the leading symbols of Italian engineering and style, an icon of Italy’s technological excellence and creative spirit.
FCA designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles and related parts and services, components and production systems worldwide through 162 manufacturing facilities, 87 R&D centres, and dealers and distributors in more than 150 countries. In addition to Alfa Romeo, it’s stable of brands include Abarth, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Ram, Maserati and Mopar, the parts and service brand. The Group’s businesses also include Comau (production systems), Magneti Marelli (components) and Teksid (iron and castings). FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FCAU” and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol “FCA”.
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