The future looks exciting for Sauber, as Audi will complete a full takeover of the team ahead of the major engine regulation changes in 2026.
This means that the team will go from midtable Alfa Romeo side to a hopefully title challenging Audi in just a few years.
For now however, Alfa Romeo will remain in the sport and will look to give Audi the best possible platform to build from when they do eventually complete their takeover of Sauber.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou look to be a consistent and talented driver pairing for the team, but as 2022 proved, they can only achieve what is possible with the car that they were given.
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Alfa Romeo started the season superbly, scoring a strong haul of points through Bottas’ impressive performances but as the season went on, they unfortunately got left behind by their rivals in terms of car development.
The team could be set for another blow before the 2023 season even starts, as their Polish test driver Robert Kubica could be set to depart the team, along with his sponsor Orlen.
“It depends on Orlen and what they want to do next,” said Kubica.
“But it would not be a surprise if I no longer get a seat as an official driver in Formula 1 anymore.”
Orlen have been an important part of Alfa Romeo in recent times, significantly backing the team in their F1 ventures and helping them secure the services of F1 legends such as Kimi Raikkonen.
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Alfa Romeo will also be looking for a quick solution to their team principal problem, as the team have been on the hunt for a replacement for Fred Vasseur, despite the fact that the Frenchman left to join Ferrari at the start of December.
Andreas Seidl has joined the team from McLaren but has surprisingly taken up the role of CEO of Sauber, rather than team principal, leaving him in charge of appointing the next Alfa Romeo boss.
Williams and McLaren have replaced their departing team prinicpals ahead of the 2023 season, leaving Alfa Romeo scraping the barrel for a new boss before F1 heads to Bahrain in a months’ time.