(Motorsports news) Alfa Romeo combo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will drive the eye-catching one-of-a-kind car during the Monza weekend, boasting gold ascents and highlights on an Italian flag tricolore that covers the engine cover. The Alfa Romeo association with the Sauber-operated team, which has ran a few sponsor-driven livery changes this year, will come to an end at the end of the 2023 season, making the Italian GP the partnership’s final home event.
The team has chosen to honor the premiere of Alfa Romeo’s most recent vehicle, the 33 Stradale, which took place at the Alfa Romeo Museum outside of Milan 56 years after the original launch of the vehicle. “As we approach our home race in Monza, it’s a pleasure to unveil this incredible livery, a true tribute not only to the 33 Stradale, but to Alfa Romeo as a whole and to the country it hails from, Italy,” Sauber team manager Alessandro Alunni Bravi said.
After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Formula One team will sever its relationship with Alfa Romeo as it gears up to become the official Audi team when the German engine maker joins the competition in 2026. Alfa Romeo has stated a desire to remain in the F1 grid, and recent rumours have suggested that it may enter into a sponsorship agreement with the Haas F1 team. Guenther Steiner, the head of Haas F1, said in June that the team was willing to partnering with Alfa Romeo but that no formal negotiations had started.
Steiner stated that any affiliation with the team would have to take into account the fact that Haas already has a long-term title sponsorship agreement in place with Moneygram.
The team is stuck in ninth place in the F1 world constructors’ championship, just ahead of AlphaTauri, and will be hoping the new appearance provides it a boost on the track. It hasn’t scored any points since the Canadian GP back in June.
When Williams competed for the first time at the Dutch Grand Prix, Alex Albon finished eighth and helped the British team pull four points ahead of Haas, who was in seventh place.
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