“We were very often fighting with Ferrari” – Alfa Romeo F1 boss Fred Vasseur has spoken about the troubles of the F1 2020 season, and is looking ahead to performing admirably this season.
Alfa Romeo F1, or Sauber as we know it, had a disappointing 2020 by their standards. Just the season before that, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi scored 57 points, the highest in Alfa Romeo’s history.
The Italian team finished P8 in both seasons, but the points tally went down dramatically this time; both drivers combining to score just 8 points. Their F1 boss Fred Vasseur has taken cognizance of this, calling the 2020 season “survival mode”. He was asked about his future with the team, and this is what he had to say:
“Yeah, but we need to discuss the project and what the future of the project is. I can’t say that I had a good year because it was tough and it was tough for everybody. We were more in survival mode than anything else, but I am happy with the job done.
Alfa Romeo F1 often gave Ferrari a run for their money
Alfa Romeo and Ferrari are both controlled by the Exor group, which also owns Juventus. Naturally, Alfa Romeo has an engine support partnership with Ferrari, the greatest-ever team in F1. But Ferrari’s outrageously terrible last decade in F1 went south a notch further after Alfa Romeo gave Ferrari tough competition, especially during the second half. Vasseur has taken heart from this and is hoping for improved performances from the retained duo of Raikkonen and Giovinazzi.
“I think compared to two years ago, we have made a huge step forward. We must also bear in mind we were very often fighting with Ferrari, and if you consider the size of the team and the budget we have, I think it wasn’t too bad.”
