[ad_1]
Fred Vasseur is excited about the future and it’s understandable after Alfa Romeo agreed to an extension of their naming rights deal with Sauber – and he thinks that together they can be one of the “packs” surprise “next season, when the new generation of F1 cars will be introduced. .
On paper, Alfa Romeo has struggled this season, with just two points in nine races, to place eighth in the Manufacturers’ Championship, 30 behind the second best Alpine. However, in terms of pure performances, they were closer to the midfield and scored seven top-12s.
READ MORE: Alfa Romeo agrees multi-year extension with Sauber to stay in Formula 1
It is this progress which, according to Vasseur, convinced Alfa Romeo to continue its relationship with the F1 team and direct it towards future success.
“As a team we have taken the biggest step forward on the grid this season, although the results do not yet show as well as the data,” said Vasseur.
“The gap to the front of the grid has narrowed significantly, especially in a world of marginal gains as Formula 1 is at the end of a regulatory cycle.
“This is the improvement that underlies the expansion of the relationship with Alfa Romeo: they see that the team is moving in the right direction and we are both keen to reap the fruits of our development together.
The Switzerland-based team have long operated under the budget cap, making a name for themselves as a lean operation that is efficient with their smaller resources.
Vasseur believes this model puts them in an excellent position to step onto the grid next season.
“Already this year, with the introduction of the budget cap, we have taken the first step towards the ‘new’ Formula 1 that we will see next year,” he said.
READ MORE: Stroll expects to wait ‘four or five years’ for Aston Martin to fight for F1 titles
“As always, when there is a big regulatory change, there is an opportunity to take a big step forward: to do it under a budget cap regime is an extra chance for us.
“We’re a very efficient team in the way we use resources, we’ve been operating just below the cap for years, so we won’t need to go through painful adjustments like some of our rivals. We believe we can be one of the next era’s surprise packages. “
Source link
