Alfa Romeo Racing has established itself as a key player in the modern era of Formula One, combining a rich motorsport heritage with cutting-edge technology and innovation. As one of the most storied names in automotive history, Alfa Romeo’s involvement in Formula One has evolved over the years, with the brand now playing an essential role in the competitive world of F1 racing. This article delves into the team’s journey, their performance in the championship, and the technological advancements that have contributed to their ongoing pursuit of excellence in one of the most demanding motorsport arenas in the world.
Table of Contents
Alfa Romeo History
Alfa Romeo has quite the Formula One history. The Italian team has not had the most committed relationship to Formula One. The team is well known for winning the first ever two consecutive Formula One World Championships, however since then the team has not had the same level of success. They also won the first-ever Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers Giuseppe “Nino” Farina in the Tipo 158 and Juan Manuel Fangio in the Tip 159 made Alfa Romeo serious contenders in Formula One. After this success, Alfa Romeo decided to take a break from F1.
The team returned in the late seventies and early eighties. However, they did not achieve the victories they had hoped for and soon withdrew again. In 2019, Sauber rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing. The new team was made up of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. The pair raced for the team until 2021, and then Bottas and Guanyu took over in 2022. Alfa Romeo is known as a very midfield team. Can they improve on their positioning with Bottas and Guanyu behind the wheel?
Logo
Formerly known as Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, the F1 team changed their entry name in 2022 to F1 Team STAKE. A name change also meant a subtle change in the logo, replacing ORLEAN with STAKE. This isn’t the first time Alfa Romeo has gone through a name change. The F1 team was previously known as the Sauber F1 team. The stake is the Alfa Romeo’s F1 team’s new title partners; the betting company represents another fresh and new beginning for the F1 team.
Alfa Romeo Merchandise
If you are an Alfa Romeo F1 fan looking for merchandise to show your support, then we have you covered. From memorabilia to clothing, you can choose from many different Alfa Romeo items. Below, we have gathered all the best websites where you can get Alfa Romeo F1 Merchandise to show the world who you support, whether it’s race day or not!
F1 Store Front
The F1 store has various Alfa Romeo F1 merchandise for sale on their website. They also often offer good discounts, so it is an excellent option for more high-priced merchandise you have your eye on. Fans can get polo shirts, driver’s t-shirts, rain jackets, softshell jackets, hoodies, gilets, and caps in the striking red, black, and white colours of Alfa Romeo. The website also sells model cars and backpacks—everything an Alfa Romeo fan needs to complete their collection. Prices can vary from under €20.00 to over €150.00. The most expensive item for sale currently in the F1 store is an Alfa Romeo ORLEN C42 model car retailing at a whopping €238.00. Now, that’s a superfan purchase.
Fans BRANDS
Fans BRANDS is another website that sells Motorsport merchandise. Here, fans can also buy branded caps, beanies, bucket hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, and even duffle bags to help them carry around all their new Alfa Romeo merchandise. Fan BRANDS has regular sales so that you can get more bang for your buck. The price range varies from €46.00 to under €200.00. The website always offers discounts, up to 40% off some items.
Alfa Romeo Store
Fans can buy official team wear and merchandise on this website. On the Sauber group website, fans can purchase caps, bucket hats, T-shirts, softshell jackets, and jumpers. The website also has a fanwear section where fans can buy less traditional merchandise such as lumberjack shirts and hats, Miami hats and T-shirts, and Bottas tank tops and jumpers. For €220.00, you can purchase WEB Alfa Romeo sunglasses.
Other merchandise on the website includes keychains, lanyards, bags, towels, travel mugs, water bottles, umbrellas, and even sweatband sets. Model cars and mini helmets are also available. Prices range from €12.50 to €280.00.
Alfa Romeo F1 Car 2023
It entered the 2023 season with a new Formula One car, the C43. It revealed the vehicle at Alfa Romeo’s headquarters in Switzerland. A change from the usual red and white, the bold red and black colours are decorated with the new title sponsor for Alfa Romeo, Stake. Alfa Romeo revealed the new car in a live stream on 7 February 2023. The C43 is 798 kg in weight, 5,500 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width, 970 mm in height and a wheelbase less than 3,600 mm. The C43 is impressive with an updated aerodynamic package, Ferrari Hybrid Turbo V6 engine and 18-inch low-profile tyres.
Technical Director Jan Monchaux paid special attention to improving the car’s speed and ensuring it met new regulations for 2023. The C43’s livery is quite striking. The C43 was designed to combat last season’s issues of porpoising. Porpoising is a jolted bouncing that the driver feels on the suspension when driving at high speeds. This makes it very difficult for drivers to have complete control of the car when driving. Alfa Romeo hoped that with their new technology and design, they could delay this aerodynamic phenomenon that occurs.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Principal
The F1 Team is based in Hinwil, Switzerland. In addition to being Sauber’s managing director, Alessandro Alunni Bravi is the F1 Team principal for the 2023 season. Technically, Alunni Bravi does not have the exact title of “ team principal;” instead, he is titled “Team Representative” for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team. Alessandro Alunni Bravi has plenty of experience to take on this role, having been the team’s managing director in 2022.
This is not his first time acting as team principal; he was the team principal of GP2 Team Trident. Alessandro Alunni Bravi will work alongside Sauber Group’s CEO, Andreas Seidl. Seidl’s responsibilities will be to prepare Audi for its 2026 arrival in Formula One. He will also have help from technical chief Jay Monchaux and Sporting Director Beat Zehnder. The Alfa Romeo F1 Team for 2023 is Valterri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Théo Pourchaire.
Alfa Romeo F1 Media
You have plenty of media options to keep up to date with the Alfa Romeo F1 team’s progress and news throughout the year. For any F1 fan, there is the option to listen to the podcast F1:Beyond the Grid to hear exclusive interviews with Alfa Romeo drivers and team members.
If you prefer to watch Formula One instead of listening, watch the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive. The documentary has been following the Formula One world for five seasons since 2019. You get inside access and interviews into Alfa Romeo Racing’s beginnings and how they have progressed throughout the last five years. This is a must-watch for all F1 fans.
Website
The official Alfa Romeo website uploads press releases every few days, keeping fans updated on qualifying performances, grand prix results, and upcoming races. Fans can also read about Alfa Romeo’s partnerships, accreditations, and mentoring schemes. The press releases include statements by the Alfa Romeo F1 team, giving fans an insight into what the team feels, especially after a race. You can read quotations from drivers Bottas and Guanyu and team members such as team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
Social Media
The F1 team can also be found on social media so that you can follow them on your preferred application. The social media accounts are a great way to keep up with all the Alfa Romeo Stake news.
Alfa Romeo F1 @alfaromeostake team posts regular updates about their progression in Formula One. The media team allows followers to see amazing photos from behind the scenes of the racers and the Alfa Romeo team in the pit, still photos of races and cars. They also upload stories highlighting every moment during race weekend. They save their race updates as highlights on their Instagram for fans to look back whenever they please. They also keep fans up to date with qualifying results and races on their feed.
The Alfa Romeo Twitter account @alfaromeostake uploads many posts similar to those on the Instagram account but includes extra content. The Alfa Romeo media team uses Twitter to share documents and web page links, which can’t be done on Instagram. Like other F1 Twitter accounts, the Alfa Romeo Twitter page gives more up-to-date information during races, uploading the drivers’ positioning every few laps.
The Alfa Romeo team’s Facebook page is similar to its Instagram account. It uploads results and some behind-the-scenes photos, but unlike the Twitter page, you won’t get updates on results and positionings as they happen. Nevertheless, it is still a great way to see updates on Alfa Romeo and what is happening within the team.
If you like to watch videos and TikTok is your primary media source, then you should follow the Alfa Romeo F1 team’s page @alfaromeostake. You will get exclusive videos of drivers participating in funny TikTok filters and challenges here. You also see their lives on the grid, such as in the driver’s rooms. You also get into Bottas and Guanyu’s humour and work life. This is a must-follow for Alfa Romeo fans who crave behind-the-scenes footage. The Alfa Romeo Stake TikTok is an excellent source of F1 entertainment.
Alfa Romeo Drivers 2023
Valtteri Bottas
From a young age, Valtteri Bottas knew that a career in Formula One was for him. He won many kart races in his youth and raced with Finland’s National Karting squad for seven years. In 2006, Valtteri moved into single-seaters. He won the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup. In 2009, he won the Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort. He won this title again in 2010, making him the first and only driver ever to have won twice. In 2011, he won the GP3 Series. Bottas’ F1 career began when he became William’s test driver for the 2010 and ’11 seasons, and in 2012, he was brought in as a reserve driver. Bottas impressed Williams with his driving and the following year, he was promoted to a race seat and competed in his debut FIA Formula One World Championship season.
In 2014, he achieved his first F1 podium finish in Austria 2014; throughout that season, he gained five podiums and finished a career-best fourth in the Drivers’ Championship. Bottas became known for his point-scoring races, and it wasn’t long before his diligent driving caught Mercedes’ attention. During his five seasons with Mercedes, Valtteri contributed significantly to all five constructors’ championships and was drivers’ championship runner-up for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. He also had 10 impressive wins with the team. 2022 marked a new beginning for Bottas when he joined the Alfa Romeo F1 team, partnering with Zhou Guanyu. The Finnish driver uses the driving number 77.
Bottas Statistics
| Podiums | 67 |
| Points | 1792 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1(x10) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1 |
Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu made history in 2022 when he became the first ever Formula One driver on the grid from China, making his F1 debut for Alfa Romeo. After watching F1 as a child, Guanyu fell in love with the sport and set out on a mission to do what many would have considered impossible. With the support of his family, Zhou moved to the UK at 12 years of age to pursue his passion. Early in his career, Zhou attracted the attention of the Ferrari Driver Academy, which helped him transition into single-seater racing in Europe. In 2015, he showed everyone how much of a contender he was by winning three rounds of the Formula 4 series.
Over the next three years, Zhou took part in the European Formula 3 series. He moved to Prema during his second season and placed eight in his two campaigns for the Italian squad. It wasn’t long before other teams saw the Chinese driver’s potential, and following his F3 series, he was scouted by Renault for their F1 driver programme and made his debut in Formula 2. After an official F1 practice session with Alpine, previous Alfa Romeo Team Principal Fred Vasseur decided that Zhou was the perfect fit for the team and partnered him beside Bottas in 2022. The Chinese driver uses the number 24 when driving.
Zhou Statistics
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 10 |
| Highest Race Finish | 8(x1) |
| Highest Grid Position | 9 |
Théo Pourchaire
Every Formula One team needs a reserve driver they can trust to do the job when one of their main drivers cannot race. Sitting as a reserve driver for Alfa Romeo is French driver Théo Pourchaire. At only 19 years old, he finished second in the F2 Championship in 2022. Théo Pourchaire has broken records by becoming Formula 2 and Formula 3’s youngest-ever race winner. The 18-year-old first drove for ART in the 2020 F3 campaign, finishing as runner-up in his rookie season, with an impressive two wins and eight podiums to his name. The French rookie has won a total of 6 races and made the podium 15 times. It is fair to say we will see more of this driver soon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Alfa Romeo Racing’s presence in Formula One exemplifies its commitment to innovation, performance, and a rich motorsport legacy. While the team faces significant challenges in the highly competitive environment of F1, their continued development and partnership with Sauber has allowed them to remain relevant in the sport. The team has laid a solid foundation for future success through strategic decisions, technological advancements, and the passion for racing that Alfa Romeo embodies. As the Formula One landscape evolves, Alfa Romeo Racing will undoubtedly continue to play a pivotal role, striving for new heights in pursuing excellence on the world stage.