Mercedes is in the unique position – because of the success of its previous F1 investments and the unique ownership structure of the team – of having a programme that is effectively self-sustaining (although it took billions of dollars of previous R&D spend over many years). They lend themselves much better to the sort of deal Alfa Romeo has just extended with Sauber.

These are shorter-term budgets and typically considerably smaller. Recall Infiniti Red Bull? It might even apply to Aston Martin, though that is not so clear-cut given that the automotive company which sponsors the former Racing Point team has an owner in common even if they are two separate entities.Īny future automotive F1 spend will likely be coming from marketing, not R&D. By contrast, this is a sponsorship deal with Sauber – extended this week for a multiple-year term – no different to that with a supermarket chain or a computing giant. This is a very different arrangement to that which Sauber had 2006-09 with BMW, which had bought the team outright and ran it as the BMW works. But just as in 1983-85, they are in reality created and run by an independent specialist racing team, in this case Sauber. There are two Alfa Romeo-liveried cars racing around the F1 tracks. Yet Alfa Romeo appears to the untrained eye to have an F1 programme.

Even 40 years ago when it had recently lost its independence and become a brand within the Fiat empire, that was becoming true and its F1 programme was running out of momentum and about to be hived off to a specialist racing team (Euro Racing). Sign up SubscribeĪlfa Romeo, as merely a brand within the giant Stellantis automotive group, and a small-selling one at that, is not in a position to fund its own F1 team. Sign-up now for access to a limited number of articles.

Alfa romeo f1