"There’s no such thing as luck or bad luck"- Alfa Romeo boss sarcastically blames Nicholas Latifi for team's poor show in 2022 F1 season

Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur took a swipe at Nicholas Latifi in humor as he discussed the team’s performance ahead of the 2022 Dutch GP. The French team principal believes they’ve had technical and engine failures to add to their woes this season.

Humorously describing his team’s performance, Vasseur said:

“There’s no such thing as luck or bad luck with DNFs. Sometimes it was technical, sometimes the engine, sometimes Latifi."

The Frenchman believes Alfa Romeo have taken a step backwards in terms of performance. Lamenting at their shoe-string budget compared to their competitors, Vasseur explained that they are unable to develop their car at the same rate as their well-funded competitors.

Explaining their pitfalls, the French team principal said:

“In terms of competitiveness, we know we have taken a step back from the beginning of the year. At the same time, we are aware we do not have the same budget as the top teams and that we cannot develop as much as they do.”

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Alfa Romeo believes Audi has only entered as an engine manufacturer

Vasseur downplayed links to Audi and believes they have announced their entry only as an engine manufacturer. The Alfa Romeo team boss feels that the process of Audi’s entry into the sport will be a long one. There has been speculation of the Swiss team being linked to the German manufacturer in terms of a potential takeover.

Commenting on the speculation linking his team to Audi, Vasseur said:

“We must not speed up the process too much. At the moment, we are concentrating on the supply of engines. At the moment, there was only the announcement of their entry as an engineer.”

While talks between Porsche and Red Bull fell through, rumors of Audi and the Hinwil-based team seem to be getting stronger by the day. According to the grapevine, an agreement has been reached and it's only a matter of time before an announcement is made about the potential tie-up.

Considering their position in the 2022 World Championship, the Swiss outfit could use the help of an entity like Audi. They're currently ranked sixth in the constructors' table, a mere 17 points ahead of Haas and a full 50 points behind McLaren.