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Why No Ferrari-Backed F1 Drivers Anymore? – Alfa Romeo Address the Big Elephant in the Room

Published 01/16/2022, 8:30 AM EST

Alfa Romeo has been the stepping stone for drivers who want to join Ferrari. The Swiss-based team has an end number of Ferrar-affiliated drivers, such as Charles Leclerc, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Callum Ilott, to name a few.

However, for the 2022 season, the team won’t have any drivers from the Ferrari academy as they will have Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou. But they will look to bring them into the team sometime in the future.

Alfa Romeo boss states that they won’t cut ties with Ferrari

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Since 2018, the team has helped drivers that are linked to Ferrari by giving them a chance to drive for Alfa Romeo in F1. But, for the 2022 season, they won’t have Ferrari academy drivers behind the wheel. However, they aren’t looking to part ways with the Italian team.

Speaking to Autosport as quoted by Soymotor, team principal Fredéric Vasseur said, “Because we have decided another option, it does not mean that we will not work with Ferrari again in the future. You have to go case by case, because you can’t plan collaboration with the pilots for the next ten years. You can’t say: ‘OK, in the next ten years you will have a beginner,’ Ferrari doesn’t need a driver every year.”

“We need to work on a case-by-case basis and this is fully understood by both parties,” he concluded. (Translated from Spanish via Google)

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What does Bottas have to say about joining a new team on the grid for 2022?

The Finn was with Mercedes since 2017, and now after five successful years, he has decided to part ways with the Silver Arrows and join Alfa Romeo.

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Speaking about his next chapter in his F1 career, Bottas said, “A new chapter in my racing career is opening: I’m excited to join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for 2022 and beyond for what is going to be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer.”

Bottas added, “I’m grateful for the trust the team has put in me and I cannot wait to repay their faith: I’m as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins. I know Fred [Vasseur] well and I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I am going to work with, building relationships as strong as the ones I have at Mercedes.”

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Valtteri will drive alongside Zhou for the forthcoming season of Formula One. What are your predictions for the Alfa Romeo duo as they prepare to tackle the challenges that await them in 2022? Let us know what you think in the comments section down below.

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Arpit Gomes is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his Journalism degree from Xavier’s Institute, he is a big fan of McLaren and their driver Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Arpit always looks forward to the paddock moving to Spa and drivers dealing with the exciting Eau Rouge corner as well the straight at Monza.

Why No Ferrari-Backed F1 Drivers Anymore? – Alfa Romeo Address the Big Elephant in the Room

Alfa Romeo boss states that they won’t cut ties with Ferrari

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What does Bottas have to say about joining a new team on the grid for 2022?