Alfa Romeo takes over naming of F1 team from partner Sauber

HINWIL, Switzerland (AP) — Italian car brand Alfa Romeo will be the only name on its Formula One team partnership with Switzerland-based Sauber this season.

The rebranding means 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will be driving for Alfa Romeo Racing in 2019.

The team was called Alfa Romeo Sauber when it finished eighth in the constructors’ standings last year.

Sauber says the “long-term partnership ... has been further extended, with the ownership and management of Sauber remaining unchanged and independent.”

Alfa Romeo drivers won the first two F1 championships — Giuseppe “Nino” Farina in 1950 and Juan Manuel Fangio in 1951 — then left the series after 1985 until returning with Sauber.

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