F1 News: Haas Confirms Talks With Alfa Romeo After Partnership Rumours
A new partnership might be on the horizon in the world of F1. Alfa Romeo's decision on their future in the sport appears to be leaning towards a partnership with the Haas F1 team, as hinted by Haas' team boss, Guenther Steiner. As the iconic Italian brand plans to end its association with the Sauber team by 2023's end, it seems the American team could be their next pit stop.
Sauber, however, isn't planning to exit the sport, however, with their sights set on morphing into Audi's works team by 2026 when the VW brand joins the grid.
Talks between Alfa Romeo and Haas, who presently holds a title partnership with MoneyGram, were initially planned for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. But due to an unexpected race cancellation in Imola, these discussions shifted to Monaco.
However, ahead of the Spanish GP, Steiner clarified that the Monaco meet-up with Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato was more an introductory chat than a negotiation.
"They're looking at what they're doing in the future, and they came to see us to see how we're doing. An introduction, nothing else," Steiner shared with media at the track this weekend. "I had never met the CEO in my life and we were just introduced to each other. Of course there was nothing to hide, we just said hello and that was it. I don't know what they're going to do in the future," Steiner added.
Steiner believes Alfa Romeo is considering their next steps after the Sauber sponsorship concludes, but no definitive plans were discussed.
"I think they are looking at what they want to do after their Sauber sponsorship, that's my feeling, but they didn't tell me because I would never ask them."
When queried if Haas would be open to a potential name change to accommodate a new sponsorship deal, much like Alfa Romeo's current agreement with Sauber, Steiner expressed that such a topic hasn't been broached within his team.
"I don't have an answer to that because we haven't talked about this with Gene Haas. There's nothing on the table, so I don't even think about it," Steiner concluded.
With these preliminary talks and speculative moves, 2023 is looking to turn into a rather brilliant and interesting year.