[Team] … begat Alfa Romeo begat Audi: is their best ever season coming?

[Adam43]

Will Alfa Romeo finish better in the constructors championship ever before? It is possible this year!

The car looks handy and over this year and last can sneak into Q3. Do they plateau here at 6th in the constructors? Or do improve or slip down the order?

The drivers are handy, the engine is decent. Do they need a bit more time to develop from the sad low point Sauber were in a few tears ago?

[Adam43]

* there was no WCC when Alfa were dominating in the ‘50s, so the best they’ve done is 6th in 1983.
* Sauber managed a 2nd and 3rd in WCC with BMW. 2nd was with the Mclaren disqualification in 2007.

[FIRE]

Currently 17th and 20th...

[chillibowl]

While run by BMW, Sauber finished 2nd in the constructors in 2007 (plus Mclaren's exclusion that year) and genuinely 3rd the following year.

Different levels of manu involment back then to now so perhaps unfair to compare these two Sauber eras..

[FIRE]

This is not about Sauber or the team but Alfa Romeo.

[chillibowl]

Fair enough.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Currently 17th and 20th...

This is about Constructors They've won Drivers titles, but the Constructors title didn't exist at the time.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

This is about Constructors They've won Drivers titles, but the Constructors title didn't exist at the time.

With 17th and 20th you don't win constructors title.

[GT6]

They seemed to start well but other teams seem to have overtaken them now

[Adam43]

Which did used to be an old Sauber trait.

[coppice]

I think OP 's memory needs to extend a little further back . He might find that 1950/51 were not bad years at all for Alfa Romeo .They also did rather well back in the days when it was purely Grand Prix racing, not Formula 1 .

[Adam43]

10 points for remembering (I read it in a book) that Alfa dominated the world championship in the first two years. Minus 20 for not making the WCC connection.

Last year, when Sauber, I don’t remember them tailing off towards the end of the year. Just checking and they scored well in the last four races. They did have a poor mid season points wise. Only netted 8th overall.

Racing point and Renault looks like can be beaten this year...

[coppice]

I was minus two - I read it in a book too....

[Adam43]

Still Alfa for a bit more:
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sa...-deal/6630160/

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Still Alfa for a bit more:
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sa...-deal/6630160/

Lets hope they bite the bullet and stick Mick and Callum in the seats for next year!

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Lets hope they bite the bullet and stick Mick and Callum in the seats for next year!

Giovinazzi's not too bad though. Ferrari looks set for the foreseeable future with the 2 Chucks but Gio is probably still next on their ladder.

and Kimi, who seems to be prone to an increasing amount of errors, probably still has one more season in him.

it may not be an inspiring lineup, but with the Alfa re signing now confirmed they keep this pairing for next season i would think?

[BTCC frog]

I think Alfa Romeo should change both drivers. Kimi Raikkonen is having a horrible season and it is time for him to go. Giovinazzi is doing a decent job, but will never be any better than an average F1 driver, and Ferrari should replace him with someone who has the potential to actually drive for Ferrari one day.

With George Russell looking increasingly likely to be confirmed at Mercedes, I think Alfa Romeo should attempt to sign Bottas. He is a very strong driver, made to look much worse than he is by Hamilton, and would be a major upgrade on either Raikkonen or Giovinazzi. His experience would also be very helpful to the team at the beginning of a new era of F1, and allows them to sign a young driver as his teammate. Personally, I think Ferrari should place Schumacher in Alfa Romeo, but he seems more likely to stay at Haas, so I would say Ilott is more likely.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

I think Alfa Romeo should change both drivers. Kimi Raikkonen is having a horrible season and it is time for him to go. Giovinazzi is doing a decent job, but will never be any better than an average F1 driver, and Ferrari should replace him with someone who has the potential to actually drive for Ferrari one day.

With George Russell looking increasingly likely to be confirmed at Mercedes, I think Alfa Romeo should attempt to sign Bottas. He is a very strong driver, made to look much worse than he is by Hamilton, and would be a major upgrade on either Raikkonen or Giovinazzi. His experience would also be very helpful to the team at the beginning of a new era of F1, and allows them to sign a young driver as his teammate. Personally, I think Ferrari should place Schumacher in Alfa Romeo, but he seems more likely to stay at Haas, so I would say Ilott is more likely.

Does Sauber have the money for all of that?

Presumably the driver of the 2nd car is bringing an engine with him, and the other older fella had an exit deal with Maranello and Sauber to let the new blood aboard....

They should go get Mr Ricciardo...

[E.B]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

I think Alfa Romeo should change both drivers. Kimi Raikkonen is having a horrible season and it is time for him to go. Giovinazzi is doing a decent job, but will never be any better than an average F1 driver, and Ferrari should replace him with someone who has the potential to actually drive for Ferrari one day.

With George Russell looking increasingly likely to be confirmed at Mercedes, I think Alfa Romeo should attempt to sign Bottas. He is a very strong driver, made to look much worse than he is by Hamilton, and would be a major upgrade on either Raikkonen or Giovinazzi. His experience would also be very helpful to the team at the beginning of a new era of F1, and allows them to sign a young driver as his teammate. Personally, I think Ferrari should place Schumacher in Alfa Romeo, but he seems more likely to stay at Haas, so I would say Ilott is more likely.

Apparently Mick has all but signed to continue with Haas.... Mazepin is already confirmed.
In terms of Alfa I read that the team formerly known as Sauber, as part of their new Alfa deal, no longer have to keep one seat for a Ferrari Academy driver as previously. They are free to recruit whoever they want.
Thats not to say that an arrangement is made where Schumacher might end up by going to Alfa, but it is not a simple, .... erm 'shoe in' (apologies for that). Steiner says the deal with Junior is pretty much done bar the signature and Ferrari signing it off. (Schu is still a contracted Ferrari Academy driver whom it seems, they effectively own, as is the case with other manu. team Academy drivers.)

[S griffin]

The latest rumours is Bottas to Alfa if Russell ends up Merc, with the chances of George moving to the three pointed star seeming to have gone from possible to probable. And if Bottas does end up at Alfa, that would suggest Kimi would be on his way out

[Adam43]

Turned out to be so.

Alfa are a solid 9th after Zandvoort. Williams recent haul of points has made sure of this. One fluky Haas result and it’s really bad. Although that really is unlikely.

Are they just waiting till next year?

[Greem]

Confirmation that Guanyu Zhou will race for Alfa Romeo in 2022:

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...4Qinr8ky6.html

With Bottas as his experienced partner, they could make some strides forward next year.

[steve_r]

A pay driver who is doing well in F2. I don't see a lot of F2. Is he any good?

1st Chinese F1 driver.

[steve nielsen]

Originally Posted by steve_r

A pay driver who is doing well in F2. I don't see a lot of F2. Is he any good?

1st Chinese F1 driver.

He's currently 2nd in the standings in F2 in a field with a lot of talent and also won the Asian F3 championship this year , so he's certainly not the worst paydriver ever in F1.

But I suspect Liberty is very happy with a Chinese driver on the grid

[S griffin]

It's good for Zhou, he's shown himself in F2 to be good enough. Without him we wouldn't have a rookie on the grid. A bit of a shame for Antonio, but he's had his time, although I can understand his frustrations