With the 2021 season coming to a close, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reveals that Sauber would be foolish to sell its Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team in the near future.
Although more recognizable through its title sponsors Alfa Romeo, the backmarker team is owned by a Switzerland-based investment firm called Longbow Finance. According to reports from Formula 1 journalist, Michael Schmidt, Longbow Finance is rumored to be in talks with former F1 driver and American racing team owner, Micahel Andretti, who is looking to buy the team.
Via Michelle Foster of Planet F1:
“There is an offer on the table,” Schmidt said in his latest Auto Motor und Sport podcast.
“The question now is whether the owner of the Sauber racing team is happy with it or not. It is a bit difficult to judge as they do not need the money urgently, and are huge racing fans.”
However, Wolff believes that despite the team's poor performance in the V6-Turbo Hybrid era, the 2022 season could bring so many new surprises amid the regulation changes. The sport has also increasingly gained new fanbases ever since the introduction of Netflix's Drive To Survive series — Formula 1 hasn't looked this good on a global scale in many years.
“Toto Wolff told me: whoever sells their F1 team now, must be crazy. The team will be worth much more in one year, and even more in two years. F1 is booming.”
With Valtteri Bottas entering the Alfa Romeo garage next season, it'll be interesting to see what Longbow Finance does going forward. Will they take Wolff's advice or will they ultimately sell the team to Andretti?
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