Alfa Romeo expect 2022 Formula 1 car to be 'up to one second quicker' - here's why

Alfa Romeo had a poor 2021 season, scoring a total of only 13 points and finishing ninth in the constructor's standings.

Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou during end-of-season practice. (Twitter: @alfaromeoorlen)
By Shayne Dias | Feb 21, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The Alfa Romeo F1 team believes their new car for the 2022 Formula 1 season will be ‘up to one second quicker’ than last season’s machine.

The Swiss-Italian team had a poor 2021 season, scoring a total of only 13 points and finishing ninth in the constructor’s standings.

However, a tweet by motorsport journalist Dimitris Bizas has led to speculation their car for the new season is much better.

The tweet, it’s worth noting, was posted in Greek. However, website Formula1news.co.uk contacted Bizas for a direct translation of his tweet.

“Information regarding Alfa Romeo, which I have been able to cross-reference: the feeling coming from the factory is that the new car will be one second quicker than the previous one, even with the regulation changes,” he replied.

“Plus, there is a suggestion that the new Ferrari engine has made significant gains in horsepower.”

If that is indeed the case, it will be good news for one of the sport’s most known underdog teams. Alfa Romeo are owned by the Sauber group, who have been in F1 for years now.

Recent seasons have seen the team slip down the grid. But if they do indeed manage to make a better car, then better things might be on the horizon.

How are Alfa Romeo preparing for 2022 season?

There have been changes made to the team in a bid to prepare for the new regulations. The most obvious ones, of course, come in the form of the driver line-up.

Alfa Romeo are the only team starting the 2022 season with a brand-new driver line-up. Kimi Raikkonen retired at the end of 2021, whereas the team chose to replace Antonio Giovinazzi.

Valtteri Bottas, who spent five seasons at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton, joins as the team’s lead driver. He will be partnered by Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou, who finished third in Formula 2 in 2021.

Zhou, it is worth noting, will be the first Chinese person to take part in F1. However, he also comes in with the unfortunate tag of being a “pay driver”.

This is due to the fact he will bring significant sponsorship money to the team. Whether he manages to shake that tag and carve out a successful season remains to be seen.

Indeed, the same can be said about Alfa Romeo. They are presently the only side to have not launched their 2022 car; it is scheduled for February 27, which is after the first rounds of testing gets underway at Barcelona.

However, they have done test runs with the C42 in a camouflage livery to hide the nature of the cars.