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Alfa Romeo cannot promise to stay with Ferrari: It's a kind of marriage

Alfa Romeo cannot promise to stay with Ferrari: "It's a kind of marriage"

27-12-2020 17:07 Last update: 20:13
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GPblog.com

As a Formula 1 team, Sauber has a long history of working with Ferrari. Since the team's official name was Alfa Romeo, that collaboration has only grown closer, but Fred Vasseur emphasizes that they are still an independent racing team.

Before BMW joined Sauber in 2006, the team had been racing with Ferrari engines for years, that at the time bore the name of their main sponsor Petronas. Because of the link with Ferrari at the time, Mika Salo and Felipe Massa, for example, made the switch to the Scuderia.

Since the departure of BMW, Sauber has been driving with Ferrari engines again and since the team have been known as Alfa Romeo, the team has been increasingly regarded as the official B-team of Ferrari. However, Vasseur makes it clear in an interview with Blick that it may not be forever.

"It's a kind of marriage. No one can promise that you will stay with the same woman as I forever," Vasseur laughed. "We will be tied to Ferrari until the end of 2021, but you always have to ask yourself what the best deal is. So far, Ferrari has proved to be a solid partner."

The Ferrari engine, however, was clearly the worst on the grid last season, a fact that Vasseur cannot ignore. "I can't argue with that, we lost three to four tenths of our competitors.