Fred Vasseur willing to remain Alfa Romeo boss after season of "survival"

Alfa Romeo

Vasseur willing to remain Alfa Romeo boss after season of "survival"

Alfa Romeo struggled financially following initial wave of Covid-19 pandemic

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Wednesday 6 January 2021 12:44

Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur has insisted he is willing to remain in charge despite seeing out a season he described as nothing more than "survival mode".

The Swiss team was one of those that suffered financial hardship in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic which forced a late start to the 2020 season.

Vasseur, who joined the marque in 2017, pointed to the progress made by the team as a motivation to stay in his role.

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Asked if he would be happy to continue if offered the opportunity, he told GPFans Global: "Yeah, but we need to discuss the project and what the future of the project is.

"I can't say that I had a good year because it was tough and it was tough for everybody. We were more in survival mode than anything else, but I am happy with the job done.

"I think compared to two years ago, we have made a huge step forward. We must also bear in mind we were very often fighting with Ferrari, and if you consider the size of the team and the budget we have, I think it wasn't too bad.

"You can't always expect more but I am always expecting more. It is how it is."

Alfa Romeo finished eighth in the constructors' championship last season above Haas and Williams, with drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen sharing the scoring with four points apiece.

After such a demanding season, Vasseur said he will now switch his focus to the future ahead of talks over his own situation.

"We had a very difficult season," he added. "First on the technical side, we had to react. It was a big challenge, but also on the financial side. The prices were huge for the team.

"Like a couple of teams, we had no guarantee on the price of the solution and the way it impacted us was mega huge and either way, we had to find a solution and now we are focused on the future. We will take the time to discuss this."