Sauber Group chief executive Andreas Seidl says he'll only sporadically visit the F1 paddock this season as he entrusts the day-to-day running of the Alfa Romeo F1 outfit to his leadership team.
Seidl unexpectedly decided to leave his position as the boss of the McLaren F1 team to take the reins of Sauber ahead of the Swiss company's joint venture in F1 with Audi.
The German manufacturer has already acquired a minority stake in the Sauber Group and is expected to increase its holdings in the company in the future, and ahead of its official entry into F1 in 2026.
In the interim, Seidl will lead Sauber's development and the implementation of a vision and "clear plan" that will hopefully see the Swiss outfit "fight for podiums and race wins" in F1.
©AlfaRomeo
"Every area of the Group is growing, and we want to continue that trajectory in the short, medium and long term," Seidl explained in a Q&A published on the team's website.
"The team has shown its capabilities through continuous growth and sporting success over the years, both on-track and off-track.
"Our vision in Hinwil for the future is clear: we want to keep moving forward and ultimately become a team which is able to fight for podiums and race wins.
"We want to become a desirable team, where people want to be – employees, drivers and partners. We want to become a team which fans want to follow.
"My focus, together with the team, is to work out, implement and execute a clear plan of how we get there."
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To cater to its F1 ambitions, Sauber has undergone a management restructuring that allows Seidl to focus on the group's strategic future.
"The structure we’ve put in place plays to the strengths of the individuals involved and it allows me, as CEO, to focus on the strategic future of the Sauber Group and the team," said the German.
"The strong leadership team, trackside and at HQ, is designed for efficiency and to divide the tasks at hand among different individuals with clear responsibilities."
©AlfaRomeo
While the Alfa Romeo F1 team no longer has a designated team principal, Alessandro Alunni Bravi will officially represent the team's interest in the F1 paddock.
"The most significant evolution from last year is the expanded role of Alessandro Alunni Bravi," added Seidl.
"He’ll continue to oversee the team’s commercial and legal activities as managing director, as he did in the past, and in addition he’ll now be the public face of the team in the role of Team Representative.
"Together with Head of Track Engineering & Operations, Xevi Pujolar, and Sporting Director, Beat Zehnder, he will form a strong leadership team trackside."
Alfa Romeo F1 sporting director Beat Zehnder
As for Seidl, the former McLaren man will only attend a limited number of races this season.
"Formula One is the Sauber Group’s core focus, so of course I will be involved and want to contribute with my experience," he explained.
"But I want my leadership team to run things on a daily basis. They are a strong group of people, whom I trust, and I will empower them and give them everything they need.
"I will attend a few races, but the foundations of success in F1 are laid at the factory and that’s where my immediate focus will be."
©AlfaRomeo
Last year, Alfa Romeo F1 enjoyed a strong start to its 2022 campaign, but reliability issues weighed on the team's performance in the back-half of the season.
This year, Seidl wants more consistency from Alfa and "progress in every area".
"We have seen in 2022, at the start of a new regulations cycle, that this team can deliver a strong car and make progress up the grid," commented Seidl.
"The key for us is to continue in this direction in the coming months and years. What I want to see is progress in every area of the team, be that at the factory or trackside.
"Having seen and recently experienced how the team has prepared for this coming season under the leadership of our Technical Director, Jan Monchaux, and Operations Director, Axel Kruse, I am very optimistic we will achieve this as a team."
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