Alexandre
Back in F1 since 2018 thanks to a partnership with the Sauber team, Jean-Philippe Imparato, current CEO of the Italian brand Alfa Romeoconfirmed that it wants to continue the F1 program. However, with a range 100 % electric in 2027, what relevance?
At first skeptical when he took over the reins of the Biscione brand, Jean-Philippe Imparato finally declared that the F1 is an excellent communication tool for to make known the sportiness of the Alfa Romeo brand throughout the world. Thus, the partnership between Alfa Romeo and Sauber has been extended for a few more years without further clarification (unofficially it would be 3 years and the contract could be broken every year).
Mr. Imparato believes in this to the point of appointing Cristiano Fiorio as Alfa Romeo's new F1 manager, whose mission is focused on maximizing results and return on investment.
However, on the contrary, it was announced a few days ago that the future range Alfa Romeo would be 100 % electric in 2027. What is the point of Alfa Romeo staying in Formula 1? A hint: the new engine regulations in F1, currently under negotiation, will be changed in 2025. However, it would still be hybrid internal combustion engines.
Alfa Romeo could then continue in F1 until 2025, until the new engine regulations. And after that?
Why not leave its place to the Maserati brand (just as legitimate in F1) which will perhaps still propose hybrid thermal engines and Alfa Romeo looking at Formula EA competition that will also have evolved by then and where Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar and DS are already present? Let's go further, DS, sister brand of the Stellantis group would leave its place to Alfa Romeo? All this is certainly well studied.
Stupid decision as for abarth.
It was necessary to keep brands with pleasing mechanics as long as possible.
Once all cars are equipped with power units and not engines, all these brands will disappear, to the benefit of the Chinese ones that will invade the market.
Goodbye to the car.
The automotive groups have CO2 quotas to respect, hence the fact that they do not pull the rope all the way out. Until the merger with Stellantis, FCA was buying CO2 credits from Tesla.
It's stupid to stop everything in this kind of niche. They have other brands where customers don't care what's under the hood.
Let them practice on each other.
What is predictable is the inevitable death of F1 in the medium term. When in 10 years all cars will be electric, who will still follow F1 as it is today? And how to justify huge investments in the development of thermal engines for F1 if these same engines are condemned by the legislations?
And in 10 years, will the brand image of a F1 car really be carried for the future generations? My son who is not yet old enough to drive, for example, only talks about electric cars! Go explain to young people today that F1 is great, for them it's old fashioned!
And yes everything changes, in any case asking questions and projecting into the future is a good thing for all brands if they want to have a future, and I think Stellantis asks the right questions at the right time. Let's hope that the final answers will be up to the task.
The answer: China's hegemony in 20 years in the automotive sector. European brands will die out.
Move on, there is nothing left to produce in Europe.
Electric F1 cars? We'll have to do races that last 20 minutes, not more... before recharging the batteries for an hour.
Simply the death of the great European manufacturers which will benefit Asia. When the car sport it is necessary to take advantage of it now because in 10 years verstappen or leclerc in electric f1 will have no sense I will make like the bobos to buy me an electric bicycle an electric car and to keep my 4c in collection. A disaster for the car industry. What will we do with hybrid electric motors in 20 years.
As much as I think that manufacturers should continue to develop engines, including electric ones, I am sure that the historical ones have a real know-how and a legitimacy that the Chinese do not have, and all the more so if we include their geographical environment. Whatever the performance and progress made by the Chinese, there is one reality: a purchase is not only motivated by rational reasons but also by the image of the brand, its style, the ingenuity of the design, the behavior on the road, and above all the story that the brand is able to tell. And on this point, even if they come to design their models in Europe, the Chinese have no chance. When you're into quality, Italian style, when you're in Turin, Modena or Milan, when the city is a world capital of fashion and has the Triennale, when you have excellent SMEs, you have arguments. But you still have to put them forward. Fiat has created a worldwide event with the e500 dressed by the greatest designers, we must continue. The Centoventi is very cool, with its obvious and well thought-out design. The Grecale is going to be ultra refined, sending 600 horsepower to Q4 in thermal and benefiting from the latest 800V system in electric. It will have nothing to envy to anyone. Finally, the Giulietta seems to be announced for 2024. Let's hope that the emotion will be there.
All this to say that F1 and the history of Ferrari/Alfa Romeo are inseparable, the future of one is through the continuity of the competition. This is the source of their legitimacy. The automobile is often associated with oil, but the sector has studied many energy sources throughout its history, and electricity has been part of it since the beginning. The fact that tomorrow's major partner for Ferrari will be Saft rather than Shell does not make me hot or cold, even if the question of sensations - including auditory ones - will arise for the general public. And especially for the product range, especially at Maserati. As for the rest, competition still works, just that people should be allowed to follow it instead of putting everything behind paywalls (same thing for soccer)...