Financial setback for Haas: Would-be if namesake drops out

The marriage with Sauber is definitely over, so Alfa Romeo may in theory look for a new partner. For some time, it seemed that the Italian brand - part of Stellantis - would become name sponsor of Haas F1 and an announcement was awaited. An announcement from Alfa Romeo is now here, and it is not what seemed to be in the pipeline: the manufacturer is renouncing a partnership with Haas and dropping out of Formula 1 altogether.

For five seasons, the Swiss Sauber competed in Formula 1 under the sponsorship name Alfa Romeo. Partly due to Audi's takeover of the team, the partnership came to an end after just last season. However, of a final farewell from Formula 1, there seemed to be no question for Alfa Romeo. Indeed, it was an open secret that the brand was in negotiations with Haas.

A line has now been drawn through that too, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told Motorsport.com. Justifying this decision, the Frenchman says: "We weren't interested in aiming to do a copy/paste operation in the style of the one done with Sauber. It would have led us to become one of those who puts stickers on bodywork. It would no longer have been new and we wouldn't have been part of a story."

Imparato says his company's focus is no longer on Formula 1. However, Alfa Romeo does want to remain active in motorsport. As parent company Stellantis is already active with two brands in Formula E (DS Penske and Maserati, ed.), the focus is now on the World Endurance Championship. In the WEC, the group is already present with Peugeot, which produces its own hypercar. Imparato does not rule out an entry into endurance racing with Peugeot - perhaps as a customer team.