Home

F1

‘It’s Like With a Marriage’- Alfa Romeo Open to Ferrari Split Over Dismal Engine

Published 12/19/2020, 12:18 AM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

A private investigation in 2019 forced Ferrari’s hand to make a few changes to their engine for 2020. The changes were to ensure that Ferrari complies with FIA regulations. This has left a significant impact on the SF1000’s performance.

This season, Ferrari put up their worst performance since 1980. They fell out of the ‘Big-3′ status and finished P6 in the Constructors’ Championship. The power unit issue also had a domino effect on Ferrari’s customer teams.

Alfa Romeo and Haas also finished at the bottom of the table at P8 and P9, respectively. One can only assume that Ferrari’s customer teams would not have been happy with the significant loss in the pace that they suffered over the course of the season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Reuters

Frederic Vasseur, Alfa Romeo’s Team Principal, opened up about the impacts of Ferrari’s engine struggles. He explained that they are not certain about another deal with Ferrari once the contract expires in 2021.

He said, “We’ll have to go over the books because the next contract should run from 2022 to 2026 because of the new cars. You can never tell. It’s like with a marriage. No one guarantees you’ll stay with the same woman forever – like me!

“You always have to take into account in a partnership that there will be ups and downs. So we have to ask ourselves: What’s the best deal? So far, Ferrari has mostly been a solid partner.”

The decision is due to poor engine performance from Ferrari

via Reuters

Alfa Romeo claimed only 8 points this season. They also lost a certain amount of time per lap compared to the last season. Meanwhile, Vasseur hinted that the decision could be because of Ferrari’s disappointing season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

To answer the question, he said, “That’s your interpretation, but I can’t really disagree with you. Let’s say that the team slid into the crisis 80 percent because of Ferrari. We certainly lost 0.3 to 0.4 seconds per lap to our rivals.”’

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Vasseur also admitted that the season was disastrous for the Maranello-based outfit. Alfa Romeo’s decision could have severe financial implications for Ferrari.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, the pertaining question is that if Alfa Romeo decides to make this move, will Haas follow suit?

Rumors: Alfa Romeo Team Principal Allegedly Leaving for a Rival F1 Team in 2021

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Ayush Manjunath

586Articles

One take at a time

Ayush Manjunath is a Formula 1 author for EssentiallySports with more than 500 articles to his name. A Law graduate and a current Sports Management student, Ayush also has a certificate from UCLA on Sports, Media and Entertainment Management. He has an undying love for motorsports and lives to see Max Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris battle for the championship one day!
Show More>