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| Full name | Alfa Romeo S.p.A. (1950–1951) Autodelta (1979) Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo (1980–1983) Benetton Team Alfa Romeo (1984–1985) Alfa Romeo Racing (2019) Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen (2020–2021) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen (2022) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake (2023) |
|---|---|
| Base | Milan,Italy (1950–1951, 1979–1985) Hinwil,Zürich,Switzerland (2019–2023) |
| Founder(s) | Alexandre Darracq Ugo Stella Nicola Romeo |
| Noted staff | |
| Noted drivers |  Nino Farina Juan Manuel FangioRiccardo Patrese Kimi RäikkönenValtteri Bottas |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 214 |
| Engines | Alfa Romeo,Ferrari |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1950,1951) |
| Race victories | 10 |
| Podiums | 26 |
| Points | 199[1] (363[a]) |
| Pole positions | 12 |
| Fastest laps | 16 |
| 2023 position | 9th (16 pts) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| First entry | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1987 Australian Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 226 (215 starts) |
| Chassis | Alfa Romeo,Alfa Special,De Tomaso,Cooper,LDS,McLaren,March,Brabham,Osella |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1950,1951) |
| Race victories | 12 |
| Podiums | 40 |
| Points | 148 |
| Pole positions | 15 |
| Fastest laps | 20 |
Italian motor manufacturerAlfa Romeo has participated multiple times inFormula One. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between1950 and1987, and later as a commercial partner between2015 and2023. The company's works drivers won the first two World Drivers' Championships in thepre-war Alfetta:Nino Farina in 1950 andJuan Manuel Fangio in1951. Following these successes, Alfa Romeo withdrew from Formula One.
During the 1960s, although the company had no official presence in the top tier of motorsport, several Formula One teams used independently developed Alfa Romeo engines to power their cars. In the early 1970s, Alfa provided Formula One support for their works driverAndrea de Adamich, supplying adapted versions of their 3-litre V8 engine from theAlfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 sports car to power Adamich'sMcLaren (1970) andMarch (1971) entries. None of these engine combinations scored championship points.
In the mid-1970s, Alfa engineerCarlo Chiti designed a flat-12 engine to replace the T33 V8, which achieved some success in taking the1975 World Sportscar Championship.Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of theBrabham Formula One team, persuaded Alfa Romeo to supply this engine free for the1976 Formula One season. Although the Brabham-Alfa Romeo's first season was relatively modest, during the1977 and1978 World Championships their cars took 14 podium finishes, including two race victories forNiki Lauda.
The company's sporting department,Autodelta, returned as the works team in1979. This second period as a constructor was less successful than the first. Between the company's return and its withdrawal as a constructor at the end of1985, Alfa works drivers did not win a race and the team never finished higher than sixth in the World Constructors' Championship. The team's engines were also supplied toOsella from1983 to 1987, but they scored only two World Championship points during this period.
The Alfa Romeo logo returned to Formula One in 2015, appearing on theScuderia Ferrari cars. Alfa Romeo became the title sponsor for the Ferrari-poweredSauber team from2018, and this commercial partnership was increased to a full renaming of the team beginning in2019. Alfa Romeo did not have any technical involvement with the team, and the company ended its sponsorship of Sauber after2023 and left Formula One to allow the team to be taken over byAudi for 2026.
BeforeWorld War II, Alfa Romeo was a dominant presence inGrand Prix motor racing. TheP2 and theP3 consistently achieved victories until 1934, when the GermanMercedes andAuto Union cars emerged and posed serious competition.[4][5][6][7] By this time, Alfa Romeo had withdrawn temporarily as a manufacturer and was run byEnzo Ferrari and hisScuderia Ferrari team from 1929 to 1938.[8][9] From 1934 to the start of World War II in 1939, Alfa often experienced a scarcity of victories, as their cars appeared underdeveloped compared to the technically advanced Mercedes.[10]
AfterAlfa Corse retrieved its control of the brand from Ferrari, they made theAlfa Romeo 158 for the 1938 season.[11] The 158, after subsequent updates,[11] went on to become a dominant force in Gran Prix racing in the aftermath of the war.[12][11][13] Alfa continued to use this car at Grands Prix from 1946 to 1948, withdrawing from racing in 1949 due to death ofJean-Pierre Wimille,Achille Varzi, andCarlo Felice Trossi,[14][15] dominating the1947 and1948 Grand Prix seasons.[16]
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Alfa Romeo experienced astounding success in the first two seasons of the Formula One World Championship.[17] In1950,Giuseppe Farina won the inauguralWorld Drivers' Championship in a158 with asupercharger.[14] The success was replicated the following year byJuan Manuel Fangio while driving anAlfetta 159 (an evolution of the 158 with a two-stage compressor).[18] The Alfetta's engines were extremely powerful for their capacity: in 1951 the 159 engine was producing around 420 bhp (310 kW) but this was at the price of fuel consumption of 125 to 175 litres per 100 km (1.5 mpg–U.S. / 3 mpg–imp).[14]
Surprisingly, the team won the two World Drivers' Championships on a very limited budget, using only nine engine blocks that were built before the war.[19] In 1952, facing increased competition fromFerrari, theIstituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale, a public holding company controlling Alfa Romeo, decided to withdraw the team from Formula One after the Italian government's refusal to fund the expensive design of a new car to replace the 13-year-old model.[19]
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In 1976, Alfa Romeo started supplying engines toBrabham, winning two Grands Prix during the1978 Formula One season.[20] However, in 1977, Italian engine designerCarlo Chiti persuaded the team to develop their own Formula One car.[21] The development, led by Alfa Romeo's competition departmentAutodelta, started in 1977.[21] The result was theAlfa Romeo 177, which made its debut at the1979 Belgian Grand Prix.[21] The partnership with Brabham finished before the end of the1979 season, with Brabham switching back toCosworth DFV engines.[22]
This second spell in Formula One was never truly successful and their performance was consistently hampered by reliability issues.[21][23][24] In1980, their driverPatrick Depailler died in a crash while testing for the1980 German Grand Prix at theHockenheimring.[25] At the1980 United States Grand Prix,Bruno Giacomelli obtained pole position with theAlfa Romeo 179,[26] and led the race for 32 laps before the Alfa coasted to a halt with electrical trouble.[27]
In1981, the team's best achievement that year was Giacomelli's third-place finish at the1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix with anAlfa Romeo 179C.[28] After a restructuring of Autodelta, the team operations and design of the car were outsourced toEuroracing in1982, with the engines still being supplied by Autodelta.[29] This year, the team achieved a pole position at the1982 United States Grand Prix West and a third-place finish at the1982 Monaco Grand Prix, both withAndrea De Cesaris driving theAlfa Romeo 182.[30][31] The team's best season was1983, when the team switched to theturbocharged 890TV8 engine and achieved the sixth place in the Constructors' Championship, largely thanks to two second-place finishes byAndrea de Cesaris with theAlfa Romeo 183T.[32][33][23]
While the turbocharged 890T had proved somewhat competitive in 1983,[34] increasing competition from more powerful engines fromBMW andTAG, plus the fact thatFIA imposed 220-litre fuel limit with no re-fuelling allowed during pit stops during1984 saw the decline of the Euroracing Alfa Romeo team as a competitive force in Grand Prix racing.[35][36][34] The 890T (the only turbo V8 engine used in GP racing at this time) was very thirsty, and to temporarily rectify this problem, the drivers could interact with a knob regulating the turbo pressure, thus reducing the available power.[34][35][36]Riccardo Patrese's third-place finish at the1984 Italian Grand Prix was the last podium finish for the team,[36] with both Patrese andEddie Cheever often failing to finish races throughout 1984 and1985 due to running out of fuel.[34]
The team's 1985 car, theAlfa Romeo 185T, proved to be so uncompetitive that the 1984 car, the184T, was re-called into service mid-season.[34][35] After being updated to 1985 specifications the car, now dubbed the184TB, was an improvement over the 1985 car, but results were still not forthcoming.[34][35] In an interview he gave years later, Riccardo Patrese described the 185T as the worst car he had ever driven.[37][34]
Alfa Romeo pulled out of Formula One as a constructor at the end of the 1985 season.[37]
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On 1 February 2019, following the multi-year sponsorship agreement established in 2018,[38]Sauber announced that the team would rename toAlfa Romeo Racing, while the ownership,Swiss racing licence,[39] and management structure would remain unchanged.[40] Alfa Romeo itself had no technical involvement with the team – which continued using customerFerrari power units – with Sauber describing its relationship with the automaker as a "commercial partnership".[41] Other sponoros for the season includedShell,[42]Singha,[43] Axitea,[44]Carrera,[45]Iveco,[46]Richard Mille,[45]Magneti Marelli,[47]Pirelli,Claro,[48] Adler-Pelzer,[47]Hewlett Packard Enterprise,Betsafe,[49]Little Mole,[46]Singapore Airlines,[46]Sparco,[50] and Huski Chocolate.[51]
Alfa Romeo's challenger for the2019 season was theC38, continuing the naming convention from previous Sauber Formula One cars. The C38 included unique aerodynamic design elements in comparison to its rivals and predecessors, particularly at the front of the car as a result of regulation changes for the new season.[52] In addition to Alfa Romeo,2007 world championKimi Räikkönen and former Sauber reserve driverAntonio Giovinazzi were hired as the team's drivers.[40] Giovinazzi led the2019 Singapore Grand Prix for four laps,[53] the first Alfa Romeo driver to lead a lap since Andrea de Cesaris did so at the1983 Belgian Grand Prix.[54] The team's best result of the year came at the chaoticBrazilian Grand Prix, where Räikkönen and Giovinazzi were classified 4th and 5th respectively.[55] Alfa Romeo finished the year in 8th place in the Constructors' Championship with 57 points.[56]
Alfa Romeo entered the2020 season with an unchanged driver lineup.[57] In January 2020, the team announced that they would enter a title sponsorship arrangement withPolish oil companyPKN Orlen (renaming the team asAlfa Romeo Racing Orlen in 2020 and2021 and asAlfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen in2022) and thatRobert Kubica would join as a reserve driver.[58] Alfa Romeo finished the 2020 season in 8th place again, but this time scoring only 8 points.[59]
In July 2021, Alfa Romeo Racing extended their deal withSauber with a multi-year agreement with yearly assessments.[60] In the2021 season, the team finished in 9th place with 13 points.[61] At the end of the season, Räikkönen retired from Formula One,[62] while Giovinazzi departed the team to compete inFormula E.[63]
For the2022 season, the team signed formerMercedes driverValtteri Bottas and Formula 2 graduateZhou Guanyu,[64][65] securing their best Constructors’ Championship finish in 6th place since the beginning of their partnership with Sauber.[66]
In January 2023, Alfa Romeo announced a multi-year title sponsorship agreement withonline casinoStake, renaming the team asAlfa Romeo F1 Team Stake and having their logo displayed prominently on theC43.[67][68] The team also signed a partnership agreement with livestreaming platformKick,[69] which is invested by Stake co-founder and owner Eddie Craven.[70] Kick's name and logo will replace Stake's in countries where gambling and sports betting advertisements are not allowed asAlfa Romeo F1 Team Kick.[71] Alfa Romeo raced a revised Kick livery, coined the "disruptive livery," at the2023 Belgian Grand Prix.[72]
Alfa Romeo pulled out of Formula One at the end of 2023 and ended their partnership with Sauber,[73] who are set to launch a works partnership withAudi in 2026.[74]
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During the 1960s, several minor F1 teams used Alfa Romeostraight-4 engines in cars such as theLDS Mk1 and Mk2 (1962–1963 and 1965),[75] theCooper T53 (1962),[76] and theDe Tomaso F1 (1961).[76] None of these teams scored a single Championships point.[76]
In 1962,Peter de Klerk created a custom-made, single-seater racing special built for theSouth African Formula One Championship, powered by an Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5-litrestraight-4 engine, which was christened as theAlfa Special.[77][76] The Special participated in two World Championship Grands Prix, retiring at the1963 South African Grand Prix and finishing 10th at the1965 South African Grand Prix.[77] It also entered five non-championship Grands Prix, scoring a podium finish at the1963 Rand Grand Prix.[78]
At the end of the 1960s, Alfa Romeo was developing a new V8 engine for its racing cars, which was briefly tested on theCooper T86C F1-3-68 byLucien Bianchi.[79]
Alfa Romeo briefly returned to Formula One for the1970 and1971 seasons with a V8 engine based on their sportscar unit used on theAlfa Romeo Tipo 33.[80][81][82] In 1970, the unit was mainly entrusted toAndrea de Adamich, a long time Alfa driver, in theMcLaren M7D andM14D.[80][81] The combination often failed to qualify and was uncompetitive when it did run in the races.[80][81] In 1971, a similar arrangement saw de Adamich run most of the second half of the season in aMarch 711, with a similar lack of success.[82]
In 1976,Bernie Ecclestone did a deal for theBrabham Formula One team to use Alfa Romeo engines based on their newflat-12 sports car unit designed byCarlo Chiti.[83][84] The engines were free and produced a claimed 510 bhp (380 kW) against the 465 bhp (347 kW) of the ubiquitous Cosworth DFV;[85] however, the 12-cylinder Alfa engine was heavier and used more oil and water than the 8-cylinder DFV, because of more mechanical processes going on in it.[86] Packaging the engines was difficult – they had to be removed to change thespark plugs – and the highfuel consumption engine required no fewer than four separate fuel tanks to contain 47 imperial gallons (214 L; 56 US gal) of fuel.[86] While theBrabham BT45 (1976) proved quite unsuccessful,[87] the upgradedBT45B (1977) represented an proviment.[88]Gordon Murray's increasingly adventurous designs, like theBT46 which won two races in1978 (theSwedish and theItalian Grand Prixs) and finished third in the Constructors standings, were partly a response to the challenge of producing a suitably light and aerodynamic chassis around the bulky unit.[89] When aerodynamicground effect became critical in 1978, it was clear that the low, wide engines would interfere with the largeventuri tunnels under the car which were needed to create the ground effect.[89] At Murray's instigation, Alfa produced a narrowerV12 design in only three months for the1979 season, but it proved to be unreliable and fuel-inefficient.[90]
For the1987 season, Alfa Romeo made a deal to supply engines toLigier.[91] Designed by Gianni Tonti,[92] the Alfa Romeo 415T four-cylinder turbo engine was tested in aLigier JS29 byRené Arnoux.[93] When Fiat (the same company that owned F1 giant Ferrari) took control of Alfa Romeo, the deal was cancelled (ostensibly due to negative remarks by Arnoux about the engine) and Ligier had to useMegatron (ex BMW) engines for the entirety of the 1987 season.[92][91][94]
Alfa also supplied expertise and engines to the small and unsuccessful ItalianOsella team from 1983 to 1987.[95][96] For the second half of the1983 season, theAlfa Romeo 182'snormally aspirated engine (along with other rear-end components) used during the previous season were deployed on the Osella FA1E, which achieved a10th place as the best result.[95] From 1984 to 1987,[97] Alfa Romeo V8turbo engines were used on Osella's cars, starting with the 1984Osella FA1F, which was based on the 1983 worksAlfa Romeo 183T,[98][96] and continuing with theFA1G,FA1H, andFA1I,[99] achieving two fifth places as the best results (1984 Dallas andItalian Grand Prix).[99]
By 1988, the last turbo season, Alfa was fed up with the negative publicity generated by Osella's cars, so theMilan-based manufacturer prohibited the further use of its name in connection with the engine. As a result, the 1988 Alfa engines mounted on theFA1L were simply dubbed "Osella V8".[100] At the end of that season, the relationship finished, signifying the end of Alfa Romeo's involvement in Formula One for about three decades.[100]
In 1985, Alfa Romeo started a V10 Formula One engine project,[101] in anticipation of the upcoming rules forbidding turbo engines.[102] The engine was targeted to be used withLigier Formula One cars.[103][101] This was the first modern V10 Formula One engine, followed soon by Honda and Renault engines.[101][103] The Alfa Romeo V1035 F1 engine was designed by Pino D'Agostino during the1986 season.[103][101] At 12,500rpm, the peak power reached slightly over 600bhp, and the maximum torque was 373Nm.[103] After the co-operation with Ligier was cancelled in 1986,[103] the engine was made available for the164 Pro Car project and ultimately never raced in F1.[101][103]
In 1988, Alfa Romeo (part of the Fiat Group) boughtMotor Racing Developments Ltd. (otherwise known as the Brabham F1 team) to build a chassis for a new ProCar series.[104][105][106] The developed car featured a V10 engine and adopted the body of an Alfa Romeo 164, designated as the Brabham BT57.[107][105][106] Its intended purpose was to participate in a distinct racing series, serving as a support event during Formula One Grands Prix, but this event was scrapped.[106]
The Alfa Romeo branding was featured on theScuderia Ferrari Formula One cars from the 2015 to the 2018 season. This began with theFerrari SF15-T[108] and continued with subsequent modelsSF16-H,[109]SF70H,[110] andSF71H.[111]
On 29 November 2017, it was announced that Alfa Romeo would be the title sponsor of theSauber Formula One team starting from the 2018 season in a multi-year technical and commercial partnership agreement as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team.[38] On 2 December 2017, a press conference was held at theAlfa Romeo Museum inArese, Milan, illustrating the terms of the agreement between theFCA Group and the Swiss team followed by a presentation ceremony for the livery and the driver line-up consisting ofCharles Leclerc andMarcus Ericsson.[112]
A January 2018 interview with Frederic Vasseur revealed that Alfa Romeo intended to take over the Sauber team.[113] On 1 February 2019, it was announced that the team would enter the2019 season as Alfa Romeo Racing with the ownership and management structure remaining unchanged.[114]
On 26 August 2022, It was announced that Alfa Romeo would be ending its ties to the Sauber Formula One team by the end of 2023, not long afterAudi announced it would take over Sauber in 2026.[115]
(Bold indicates championships won)
| Constructor | Season(s) | Total wins | First win | Last win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Tomaso | 1961 | 0 | – | – |
 LDS | 1962–1963,1965 | 0 | – | – |
| Alfa Special | 1963,1965 | 0 | – | – |
 Cooper | 1962 | 0 | – | – |
| McLaren | 1970 | 0 | – | – |
| March | 1971 | 0 | – | – |
| Brabham | 1976–1979 | 2 | 1978 Swedish Grand Prix | 1978 Italian Grand Prix |
| Osella | 1983–1987** | 0 | – | – |
| Total | 1961–1987 | 2 | 1978 Swedish Grand Prix | 1978 Italian Grand Prix |
| Year | Name | Car | Engine | Tyres | No. | Drivers | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |  Alfa Romeo Racing Sauber F1 eSports Team | C37 | Ferrari 063 1.6V6t | P | 22. 46. 23. | Salih Saltunç Sonuc Saltunç Allert van der Wal | 119 | 3rd |
| 2019 | Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Esports | C38 | Ferrari 064 1.6V6t | P | 12. 22. 21. |  Daniel Bereznay Salih Saltunç Kimmy Larsson | 176 | 3rd |
| 2020 | Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports | C39 | Ferrari 065 1.6V6t | P | 12. 34. N.A. | Daniel BereznayJarno Opmeer Dominik Hofmann | 295 | 2nd |
| 2021 | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports Team | C41 | Ferrari 065/6 1.6V6t | P | 30. 83. N.A. |  Simon Weigang Filip Prešnajder Thijmen Schütte | 12 | 9th |
| 2022 | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports Team | C42 | Ferrari 066/7 1.6V6t | P | 15. 40. 71. | Daniel Bereznay Nicholas Longuet Tomasz Poradzisz | 120 | 5th |
| 2023–24 | Kick F1 Sim Racing Team | C43 | Ferrari 1.6V6t | P | 39. 72. N.A. | Thomas RonhaarBrendon Leigh Xander van Dijken | 213 | 2nd |
| Source:[116] | ||||||||
The following drivers won the Formula One Esports Drivers' Championship for Sauber Esport:
Jarno Opmeer (2020).| Year | Chassis | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Sauber C37 | AUS | CHN | AZE | FRA | GBR | BEL | GER | SIN | USA | ABU | 119 | 3rd | |||
| Salih Saltunç | 8 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 8 | ||||||
| Sonuc Saltunç | 15 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Allert van der Wal | 18 | 7 | 15 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | Alfa Romeo Racing C38 | BHR | CHN | AZE | CAN | RBR | GBR | GER | BEL | ITA | JPN | USA | BRA | 176 | 3rd | |
| Daniel Bereznay | 19 | Ret | 7 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 1 | ||||
 Salih Saltunç | 3 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 4 | ||||
| Kimmy Larsson | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Alfa Romeo C39 | BHR | VIE | CHN | NED | CAN | RBR | GBR | BEL | ITA | JPN | MEX | BRA | 295 | 2nd | |
| Daniel Bereznay | 2 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| Jarno Opmeer | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | ||||
 Dominik Hofmann | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Alfa Romeo C41 | BHR | CHN | RBR | GBR | ITA | BEL | POR | NED | USA | EMI | MEX | BRA | 12 | 9th | |
| Simon Weigang | 13 | Ret | 7 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 14 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 15 | ||||
| Filip Prešnajder | 10 | 14 | 16 | 17 | Ret | 20 | 12 | 12 | 18 | |||||||
| Thijmen Schüte | 18 | 12 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Alfa Romeo C42 | BHR | EMI | GBR | RBR | BEL | NED | ITA | MEX | USA | JPN | BRA | UAE | 120 | 5th | |
| Daniel Bereznay | Ret | 17 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 7 | ||||||||
| Nicolas Longuet | 9 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| Tomasz Poradzisz | 14 | 10 | 15 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| 2023–24 | Alfa Romeo C43 | BHR | JED | RBR | GBR | BEL | NED | USA | MEX | BRA | LVG | QAT | UAE | 223 | 2nd | |
| Thomas Ronhaar | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Brendon Leigh | 12 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 3 | Ret | 7 | 7 | 16 | 9 | ||||
| Xander van Dijken |
At this moment in time we are using Ferrari engines, but our goal is not to be a subsidiary of, but the main Alfa Romeo team.
Media related toAlfa Romeo in Formula One at Wikimedia Commons
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