Italian automotive giant set to exit F1 after failed negotiations: Reports

As per recent reports, Italian automotive giant Alfa Romeo will exit F1 soon, after only six years of operations. This is mainly because of failed negotiations with American-based outfit Haas.

Back in 2019, Alfa Romeo became the title sponsor of Sauber. However, Sauber will start working with Audi in 2026, so Alfa Romeo needed to make a deal with another team to keep themselves in the sport.

According to RacingNews365, talks between Alfa Romeo and Haas started around the 2023 F1 Monaco GP. However, since Formula 1 has drastically risen in popularity, its financial landscape has changed as well. With teams now demanding a lot more from sponsors in general, the Italian giants reportedly could not arrive at a middle ground with Haas.

Eventually, Haas went for MoneyGram as their main title sponsor in 2023, leaving Alfa Romeo empty-handed. Given the lack of space for sponsorship at other F1 teams, the venerable Italian automaker looks set to exit the sport.

But Alfa Romeo is a massive automotive brand, and they will likely continue to dip their toes in other motorsport series.

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Sauber director debunks rumors about Audi ditching F1 project

Sauber managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi recently cleared the air of rumors that Audi could back off from F1 before even entering it. In a recent media interaction, Bravi claimed that Audi is fully committed to its project with Sauber.

"Audi has a strong commitment to Formula 1, of course together with Sauber. This commitment comes from a decision not only of the board of Audi but also the advisory board of Audi and the Supervisory Board of Audi Volkswagen. It’s a group decision and the commitment is there," he said.

“Why there is a lack of communication is simple. We are the Alfa Romeo F1 team. So until the end of the year, we have certain limitations in communicating about the team, about the future, about the involvement of Audi and we fully respect Alfa Romeo for this. We don't want to make any kind of announcement or more than what is strictly related to the race and the championship. The commitment, as I said, is there. We are working hard to develop the structure of the team,” Bravi added.

Audi plans to enter the sport in 2026 with its own power units, while Sauber will help design and create the car around it.