Alfa Romeo F1 partly lets go of Ferrari and chooses its own direction

The F1 collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Sauber named itself Alfa Romeo F1 ORLEN in early 2022. As a more outspoken F1 team, they also want more autonomy. Therefore, with the new 2022 car, they will partially let go of Ferrari.

Alfa Romeo will remain a customer of Ferrari, but in addition to taking the engine from the Italian competitor, purchases will be greatly reduced. The Italian branch of Motorsport.com reports that the team does not want to be a vassal of Ferrari just like Haas F1. Alfa Romeo will therefore build their own gearbox and rear suspension for their new car.

The reason for the team's name change was to better indicate that the team belongs to an exclusive club and that Formula 1 stands for great performance. It is therefore not illogical that Alfa Romeo F1 wants more autonomy. Also, Sauber founded Sauber Technologies this year, through which the racing brand will sell their knowledge of technology and aerodynamics around the world.

So the resources and know-how are there. For drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, the fact that Alfa will build more of their own cars means that their car will have a shorter wheelbase than the Ferrari's. Alfa will also use a different tie rod for the rear suspension. In addition, the development and use of a proprietary gearbox will allow for more freedom in the aerodynamics at the rear of the car.