Alfa Romeo have launched their car for 2023 ahead of their final season in partnership with the Sauber Group.
Called the C43, this new charger signals the end of a six-year partnership – and Alfa certainly look to be going out with a bang.
In contrast to the bright white on last year’s car, Alfa Romeo have instead adopted a stunning, carbon-black colourway for 2023. Of course, the deep Alfa red colour is still a major fixture, present across the rear of the car and over the top of the nose.
The darker livery comes as a result of the arrival of new title sponsor, Stake. Last month, the online betting company announced a multi-year deal with Sauber as they progress from Alfa Romeo over to Audi in 2026.
Because of their status as the main sponsor, Stake logos feature prominently on the sidepod of the car. In addition, their branding is on the front wing endplates, plus the halo. Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo’s traditional written logo appears on the heart of the engine cover, as does the car maker’s “Quadrifoglio” four-leaf clover badge.
Overall, the change from white to black for this year makes the C43 a truly fantastic car to look at. Additionally, Alfa Romeo will hope the technical changes that they’ve made to the car can provide a boost in 2023, too.
Alfa Romeo C43: what’s new on their 2023 car?
Following the unveiling of their new challenger, Alfa’s technical director, Jan Monchaux, delved a little into the team’s work over the winter.
Most of their efforts had gone into re-designing the rear section of the C43. However, there was also a focus on reliability after some troubling retirements during the 2022 season.
“We decided to change the rear axis, so the suspension, and also the gearbox casing,” explained Monchaux, on the car launch stream. “This then opened the door to new layouts, especially on the cooling side. Once in place, they allowed us to develop the bodywork as we’ve been doing.”
This redevelopment of the rear end is also coupled with floor modifications. The FIA announced that each F1 car’s floor had to be within revised regulations that combat the “porpoising” issue.
From all this, Alfa Romeo will hope that their 2023 car can be an improvement over its predecessor. The C43 has big shoes to fill, though, as Alfa enjoyed a solid 2022 season.
Alfa’s 2022 campaign
The Italian brand’s new driver pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu performed well last year. They both retained their seats for 2023 as a result.
Bottas finished an impressive tenth in the drivers’ standings, picking up 49 points. Zhou was further behind, ending the season in 18th spot. Despite this, the team had belief in the promise that F1’s first Chinese driver showed throughout the campaign.
The pair’s combined effort saw Alfa finish sixth in the constructors’ standings – their best showing since returning to the grid. Will the C43 be able to take them toward the top of the midfield? We will have to wait until Bahrain to see.
In the meantime, Alfa Romeo will first run their 2023 car on-track at Barcelona later this week.
Featured image credit: Twitter/Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake
