Alfa Romeo-Sauber: Here is the new C41 🎥
PREMIERE IN POLAND Alfa Romeo Racing is one of the first teams to present the 2021 race car designed at Sauber Motorsport in Hinwil. The C41 has much in common with its predecessor. The striking color scheme of the C41 was created in the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. The design features the brand's traditional colors, red and white. The Swiss Formula 1 team [...]
The striking color scheme of the C41 was created in Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. The design features the traditional colors of the brand, red and white.
The Swiss Formula One team did not unveil its World Championship car this year at Alfa Romeo's headquarters in Turin or at home at Sauber Motorsport in Hinwil. Nor, as in previous years, before the first day of testing sometime in February in Barcelona.
Active premiere in three weeks
This time title sponsor Orlen, Poland's largest petroleum company and supporter of reserve driver Robert Kubica, virtually took over the host role with the presentation at Warsaw's Teatr Wielki, the national theater in the capital. However, neither the audience nor the media were on site - the unveiling of the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen C41 had to take place on the Internet due to Covid-19 measures. Our photos are studio shots.
It won't be until the official tests in three weeks' time in Bahrain, where the 2021 World Championship opener will take place on the last weekend in March, that the latest creation under the guidance of Technical Director Jan Monchaux and Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur will be confronted with reality.
Equal to 2020 would be success
What the Sauber C41 will be good for on the real stage is wishful thinking: At least eighth place in the world championship, as last year, is what it should be good for again. To achieve this, however, the Mercedes-powered WilliamsF1 team and the HaasF1 team from the USA, which like Alfa Romeo/Sauber cooperates with Ferrari, still have to be beaten in the points table.
After all, the air has become even thinner towards the front, as 2020 has shown. AlphaTauri, the seventh-placed team, scored 13 times more points than Alfa/Sauber last year (107 to 8) and has now set itself the goal of finishing at the top of the midfield after its first GP victory.
The French team boss is therefore reluctant to make any predictions.
Frédéric Vasseur: "You always want to improve and set yourself goals. Of course, we also want to return to the front midfield. But it's a long way there. Nevertheless, we're doing everything we can to at least narrow or close the gap to the front."
Previous year car as basis
Because new technical regulations come into force in 2022 and a new budget cap already applies from this year, the teams could not afford to make any big leaps. The C41 is therefore based more or less on last year's model. Ferrari will supply an improved engine within the limits permitted by the regulations.
Jan Monchaux: "It was a classic and somewhat simpler development than usual. We were able to take over a number of parts from the C39, such as the chassis, transmission and suspension components. We thought long and hard about which permitted modifications that could take us further we should invest in, so that it would pay off over the course of the season. For example, in the front of the car, the underbody and the brakes."
