Valtteri Bottas’ future with Mercedes has been hanging in balance ever since George Russell made his impression at the Sakhir GP last season. Consequently, there was a paper talk going around the paddock claiming Bottas had initiated discussions with Alfa Romeo regarding the 2022 F1 seat, potentially replacing Kimi Raikkonen.

However, reports have claimed that Alfa Romeo aren’t only looking to pursue a Mercedes driver but also their engine as well.

Alfa Romeo, which falls under the ownership of Sauber Motorsports AG, have been one of the prime customers of Ferrari for 12 years, which could soon come to an end.

Alfa Romeo switching to Mercedes engines?

The performance out of Ferrari’s engines have been in the decline since the 2020 season, which has significantly affected Alfa Romeo’s seasonal targets. Although the Scuderias did manage to develop a decent power unit for 2021, it doesn’t seem enough for the Italian outfit to challenge the mid-field pack.

Hence, according to F1-Insider, Sauber’s owner, Rausing, is keen on terminating the relationship with Ferrari and switching to the title contender, Mercedes.

Trending

Liam Lawson’s Surprise Contract Clause Threatens Daniel Ricciardo’s RB Seat

April 24, 2024 11:15 AM EDT

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

What Is Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino? Significance of Ferrari’s Historic Change to a Blue Livery for Miami GP

April 24, 2024 04:52 PM EDT

“[Charles] Leclerc Doesn’t Care About Ferrari”: F1 Insider’s Brutal Blow to Fred Vasseur & Co. Has Racing Community Lashing Out

April 24, 2024 05:00 PM EDT

F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal

April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT

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

Follow Us

As of now, Alfa Romeo are evaluating all possible options, and are seemingly reluctant in signing a new contract with Ferrari. Hence, if the talks with Mercedes do go through perfectly, Alfa Romeo could rise up to be the fifth F1 team to sport a Mercedes power unit at the back.

Also, the fact that Ola Källenius, head of Mercedes-Benz, is also one of the board members of the Rausing family-owned Tetra Laval group, is going to bolster the chances of Mercedes and Alfa Romeo reaching an agreement sooner than expected.

Fortunes set to take a wild turn?

Alfa Romeo have been one of the poorest performing F1 teams of this season, only ahead of Haas. The Italian outfit, at one point, were looking stronger than Williams.

However, the latter’s back-to-back show at Hungaroring and Spa meant that they leap-frogged past Alfa Romeo in the constructors’ standings.

Hence, with a potential Bottas-Ilott line-up on cards for 2022 along with a Mercedes engine at the back, Sauber could return to their real form, which stormed the mid-field pack during the early 2010s. But will these speculations turn out to be true in reality?

Watch Story: Insane Michael Schumacher Records That Lewis Hamilton Hasn’t Broken Yet