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🇲🇽 F1'22: R20 - Momentum Machine

One point may not seem like much, but to Alfa Romeo, the single point Valtteri Bottas gained in Mexico might feel like the corner - and momentum - has changed with just two races to hold on to sixth. 

Since the British Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo have scored just two points, splitting a pair of tenth-placed finishes between the Finnish driver and Guanyu Zhou. Compare that to Aston Martin, who scored 33 in the same time period, keeping the points tally moving and slowly closing the gap between the teams.

The two rivals see themselves competing for being at the top of the bottom - or sixth place - and a gulf they can see between them and the next level of McLaren vs Alpine. While no-one really knows how much each place in the Constructors’ championship is worth, it’s probably worth dozens of millions, and those extra dollars are crucial in helping to push a team forward. That race at Silverstone way back in early July was notable for the incredible crash that Zhou emerged from, thankfully unharmed. Bottas also did not finish the race, being the first double DNF for the team in 2022.

But to take just one point from the next 10 races? That was lower than anyone else on the grid, and saw Aston Martin and everyone else slowly chip away at their lead. Money aside though, why does it matter? Well, for starters, there are some big changes coming to the team from 2026.

A word on structure here. Sauber is the F1 team, and at the moment Alfa Romeo are the title partner, as they have been since 2017, but a new name is coming in from 2026 as Alfa Romeo fades out from the sport for now. Audi are replacing them, but while the name might change, and the powertrain and all the rest of it, there will be more of a spotlight on them as it’ll be an intriguing battle to see the German manufacturer compete with their rivals Mercedes on the same grid, with the goal being to close the gap on the track and on the showroom floor, using the growing profile of F1 to improve the perception and visibility of the four famous rings. 

So it follows that being at the top of midcard would give Alfa Romeo/Sauber/Audi that platform to build from. There were rumours that McLaren were the team that Audi wanted to work with, but those reports were addressed by the Woking-based team and did not happen. 

  
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In not partnering with a top-half marque, Sauber will have to grow quicker than its rivals. Aston Martin, who are putting together some long-term investments that aims to see them move up the grid, Haas, who have announced a new title sponsor (hopefully this goes better than their last one), Williams, who are in position to benefit from the marketing bump an American driver can give in the form of Logan Sargeant, and Alpha Tauri, who are bringing in Formula 2 and E champion Nyck de Vries as they refresh part of their driver lineup. And Sauber have a bit of an ace too. 

They have a somewhat sparsely-populated driver academy when compared to someone like Red Bull or Alpine, but the star is one to watch, and someone you may have read about on these pages in the past. 

Theo Pourchaire drove a Formula 1 car as part of a practice in Texas. Currently running second in the Formula 2 championship, the young French driver was close to getting the seat that eventually went to Zhou, but gaining experience at COTA marks another sort of milestone for Sauber. Due to sponsorship agreements, the team has previously put in Robert Kubica into the occasional free practice session. The 37-year-old driver is experienced, and able to provide quality feedback, but there is nothing like giving the future the chance to shine and iron out any early kinks. 

It would be a shame if Pourchaire did not have an elite full-time drive of some sort in 2023, although he is Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver next year, but his continued rise is an exciting subplot to follow for fans of driver markets and movements. 

The final thing to consider is the powertrain. With all the changes happening from 2026, Audi joining in gives F1 a fifth supplier. Alpine are currently the only team that supplies one team (itself!) so having more choice should in theory give more competition, choice and the innovation that comes with, and if Audi were to supply, say, Haas or Williams, would have the benefits of extra data too.

There are just two race weekends left of the 2022 F1 season and Aston Martin are now four points back from sixth place. Alfa Romeo took their first point since Monza, and while it is just one point, this particular outing might mean a little more than most, especially if they do end up holding on to their best finish since 2012. Ten years ago, 126 got you sixth place after 20 races. Now you just need 53!

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