Second to last in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the Haas team, Alfa Romeo is almost at the end of a disappointing season which will be its last as Alfa Romeo, before it becomes Sauber again in 2024 ahead of its 2026 Audi rebranding.
With two races to go, team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi explained how this year’s calendar and several races on a variety of circuits have allowed the team to analyse the car’s critical areas and reach the only possible decision, in anticipation of next year’s design: to abandon the 2023 project and create a completely new car.
“Of course, it’s easy to identify the problems, but then you need to be able to fix them. So, we are working hard, the group is growing,” he said. “We have new appointments that are joining, and that will be able to contribute also to next year’s car but the answer will be given to all of us next year in Bahrain.”
Under the leadership of the new technical director James Key, the team is working on the C44 – a car that should enable the team to give its maximum on each track.
“He started the first week of September, so he’s also contributing to next year’s car, to our C44 car.
“We reviewed completely the project, together with him, and thanks to his experience we went through an in-depth analysis of all the areas of the car, taking decisions.”
“So, next year’s car will not be an evolution of this year’s car, because we think that there are some limits in this concept that we cannot exploit further. So, we will really have a completely new car from chassis to suspension, everything, all the areas.”
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu now have 10 and 6 points in the Championship, and for Alunni Bravi, the team has to guarantee them a car up to the performance they are capable of giving, stating clearly that drivers are not the “issue” at the Swiss squad:
“There is no issue with our drivers. They are experienced, and we have seen that they can contribute with points.
“If we are able to provide a performing car to our drivers, there they can deliver. But it’s really a matter of giving them everything that they need to perform.
“But the matter is to have a stronger car with more performance in any track condition, with every tyre temperature, so all the elements. This has been our weakest point. Too many up and downs and not consistent throughout the season.”
Photo Credit: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake
