F1: Alfa Romeo Would've Collapsed If Rule Changes Weren't Pushed Back To 2022

In an exclusive interview with AutoSport Alfa Romeo Sauber team principal Fred Vasseur has revealed that if the scheduled rule changes for 2021 weren't pushed back to 2022 in the wake of the pandemic, his team could've not been on the grid in 2021. "Such an action (freezing of parts) is never easy, of course, because you are afraid that you are going to give someone else an advantage. However, we were in such a difficult situation that we had to", explains Alfa Romeo's team boss to Autosport.

2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen is the lead driver for Alfa Romeo

"We had also imagined that there would be teams against such measures. If you feel that your car is not going well in Barcelona, you don't want it to take you 18 months," he said.

"Fortunately we have achieved that, because I think that otherwise, we would not have been there as a team," Vasseur proclaimed.

He noted that while the financial aspect was a big part of the issue, even if it was not, the team would've been left uncompetitive which would have reduced motivation for everyone working on the project. This is important considering the team represents the Alfa Romeo brand which was the first-ever F1 world champion back in the 1950s.