Alfa Romeo could return to the Formula 1 grid according to the company’s boss, Sergio Marchionne, who admitted the idea is currently being discussed.
The Italian marque competed in the first ever F1 season back in 1950 and won back-to-back drivers’ titles with Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio. After that it supplied engines for 30 years before returning as a constructor in 1979 until 1985.
The car manufacturer is currently owned by Ferrari parent, Fiat Chrysler, and its logo can be seen on both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen’s cars as part of a marketing deal.
With a further push to increase Alfa Romeo’s sales from 72,000 in 2014 to 400,000 in 2018, Marchionne admitted another foray into F1 is a possibility.
“It’s incredible how the Alfa marque remains in people’s hearts,” he is quoted by Reuters.
“For that very reason we are thinking about bringing it back, as our competitor, to racing, to Formula 1. It’s important for Alfa to return.”
The team would almost certainly run Alfa Romeo branded Ferrari engines, a deal Red Bull discussed with the Italian team this season in the hope of securing a Ferrari engine deal.
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