Fiat is potentially looking at a full takeover of the Alfa Romeo Racing team. Having already been renamed, the former Sauber team could undergo further changes in 2020.
The recent announcement that the Sauber name would no longer be on the grid in 2019 was a sad prospect to many but according to a report by AutoBild, there could be another motive behind the change.
If the report is accurate, Fiat's new CEO, John Elkeann has a clause in the contract with the team that gives him a purchase option which expires during the summer of 2019.
Much like the collaboration between Red Bull Racing and the Toro Rosso teams, Ferrari could be exploring a similar method to gain on their rivals in the future.
Indications are that Fiat is serious about a potential takeover of the team. The highly-rated Simone Resta left the Prancing Horse to join Alfa Romeo as the team's technical chief and the appointment of Antonio Giovinazzi as the teammate to Kimi Raikkonen points to a potential Ferrari influence on the outfit.
In 2018, the late Sergio Marchionne brought the Alfa Romeo name back to Formula One which did lead to theories that the team could be collaborating very closely with Ferrari in the future.