An Alfa Romeo hypercar at Le Mans? If the sums add up says Imparato

► Alfa Romeo pulled out of F1 in 2023
► But what’s next? 
► There are options if the price is right

Alfa Romeo is methodically and shrewdly electrifying its road car line up – most recently with the release of the Milano Junior (below) – it’s very first EV. But that doesn’t mean the brand from Milan has lost its passion for motorsport. 

Speaking at the launch of its first EV – and the second model to be released since Alfa’s Zero to Zero promise (in which it’ll go from zero EVs in 2022, to zero emission sales by 2027) – boss Imparato revealed that Alfa would still love to return to motorsport. He has a few conditions to meet first, though. 

‘I exit from the Sauber team in 2022/2023,’ said Imparato in his usual, direct way. ‘Because Sauber had sold to Audi at a price that for me was completely mad.’ 

‘I let them spend their money in developing engines and everything,’ he added. ‘I cannot afford as an Alfa Romeo to be in this game.’

Sauber ran with Alfa Romeo branding from 2019 to 2023, but Audi will now swallow the team whole: after initially agreeing to part ownership, Ingolstadt will now acquire 100% of the team, giving it complete control of its entry in 2026. 

Significantly, it’ll be developing a new powertrain while also utilising all the know-how of the Sauber team’s chassis engineers. The project will start just in time for new engine and chassis regulations, and it’ll be headed up by ex-Porsche WEC and then ex-McLaren F1 team principal Andreas Seidl.

So, with F1 off the table, what else can Alfa do? The options aren’t exactly limited, but it also needs to consider the history and strengths of its Stellantis siblings: 

 ‘A rally?’ asks Imparato out loud. ‘Not me – it’s Lancia. There is one brand in [rallying]: Lancia. I don’t know if they took the decision to [join] but the only thing I can do is endurance.’ 

That’s right; if Alfa was go to into endurance it’ll likely go into the WEC championship – and who would argue with that. The brand already has a proven track record in endurance racing, and the most recent set of hypercar rules have already attracted entries from brands such as Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Cadillac among others. 

‘If I were to do