Alfa Romeo will be set for a return to Grand Prix racing in 2018 after the company signed an agreement with Sauber. The team will now be named Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 when it debuts in Melbourne, Australia.
The driver line-up has not been confirmed however it is rumoured Ferrari junior drivers, Italian Antonio Giovanazzi and Frenchman Charles Leclerc will be featured.
Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said βThis 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 yearsβ.
βA 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 Teamβs undisputed experience.β
βThe 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.β
Alfa Romeoβs Formula 1 World Championship began in 1950, claiming a 1-2-3 in at Silverstone then claiming back-to-back world championships with Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio.
