Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/911593
58 maltatoday SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 Sports FORMULA 1 Alfa's return shows value of F1, says Horner ALFA Romeo's return to For- mula One shows the value of the sport and suggests Ferrari will not follow through on threats to leave, according to Red Bull principal Christian Horner. Alfa Romeo is part of the Fiat Chrysler group whose chief ex- ecutive Sergio Marchionne is also the head of sportscar maker Ferrari, who are Formula One's most successful and glamorous team. The Swiss Sauber team an- nounced on Thursday that the Italian marque was returning to the sport as their title sponsor after a 30-year absence, with the team to be known as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 from next season. "They (Alfa) come under the same management as Sergio so I can't believe he'd have brought Alfa Romeo in for Ferrari to be leaving in a cou- ple of years," Horner said. "I think it demon- strates that Formula One is obviously work- ing and creating the recognition, otherwise the group wouldn't have brought the Alfa brand into Formula One," he added. Alfa has a long his- tory in motor racing, from pre-World War Two days to the winning the first two Formula One drivers' champi- onships in 1950 and 1951. Enzo Ferrari worked for them before building his first car in 1947. Marchionne warned in No- vember that Ferrari, who were spun off from Fiat Chrysler at the start of last year, could walk away if the sport took a direction contrary to the company's inter- ests. He was attending an Alfa Ro- meo Sauber presentation in Are- se, near Milan, yesterday. Horner, who was speaking at the launch of the As- ton Martin R-Mo- torsport sportscar team in London on Thursday, has pre- viously dismissed M a r c h i o n n e ' s comments as 'blus- ter'. "Formula One needs Fer- rari and Ferrari needs Formula One. It's a marriage of conveni- ence in many respects but both entities ultimately need each other. And we certainly want Ferrari in Formula One," he said. "A Formula One with Ferrari in, it's one of the biggest brands in the world and they are a great team to compete against." Sauber will use Ferrari engines next year, along with the US- owned Haas team and Ferrari's works outfit. Red Bull are one of three us- ing Renault power units but the future is clouded by uncertainty, with the engine regulations set for a change in 2021. Aston Martin will be Red Bull's title sponsors next season and chief executive Andy Palmer has spoken of the possibility of the British sportscar company even- tually building an engine if the rules provide for a much cheaper and simpler unit. "Liberty (the Formula One owners) are very keen to reduce costs to simplify the engine and to attract new brands into For- mula One," said Horner. "Aston are extremely keen to have an increased presence and I think we're all in a holding pattern at the moment waiting to see what those regulations are going to be. "You'd have to partner with a specialist, and research and de- velopment cost resource restric- tions would have to be in place in order for there to be a playing field that they could compete on," he added. Christian Horner Alfa Romeo Sauber confirms Leclerc, Ericsson ALFA Romeo Sauber has con- firmed that it will field Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson in Formula 1 next season, dur- ing a press conference held at the marque's museum in Italy yester- day. Sauber, which finished at the foot of this year's 10-team cham- pionship, scoring only five points, ditched its planned Honda part- nership in favour of a strengthened alliance with Ferrari. Sauber will return to using cur- rent-year Ferrari power units next season and on Wednesday con- firmed that it had reached a multi- year technical and commercial deal with Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo, part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, of which Ferrari chief Sergio Marchionne is the CEO, will act as title sponsor, marking the brand's return to Formula 1 after a three-decade absence. Ferrari-backed Leclerc had been widely tipped to graduate to For- mula 1 in 2018 with Sauber, hav- ing captured the attention with his title-winning campaign as a rookie in Formula 2. Leclerc, following Haas runs in 2016, received multiple practice and test outings through the sec- ond half of 2017 with Sauber, most recently at last week's gathering in Abu Dhabi. Leclerc will link up with incum- bent Marcus Ericsson, who joined Sauber from Caterham at the end of 2014, and has connections with the squad's owners, Longbow Fi- nance. Ericsson admitted in Abu Dhabi that his position was reli- ant on the levels of collaboration between Ferrari and Sauber, but he has prevailed in the battle over Antonio Giovinazzi to remain in a race seat. Giovinazzi will take up a reserve role with Sauber, for whom he com- peted in two Grands Prix in 2017, in place of Pascal Wehrlein, and is set to partake in selected FP1 sessions. Wehrlein, meanwhile, is ostensibly left without a 2018 drive, following two years with Manor and Sauber, which has yielded six points and a best result of eighth, achieved in May's Spanish Grand Prix. The confirmation of Sauber's driver line-up means there is just a sole seat up for grabs, with Wil- liams yet to decide on the identity of Lance Stroll's team-mate. Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc