Alfa Romeo Racing Teams Struggle In Season Opener:

The first race of the 2019 FIA Formula One (F1) season is in the books and it was the start of the season the Alfa Romeo Racing team was hoping for. The Rolex Australian Grand Prix featured beautiful weather (24°C or 75°F) at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. The 3.3 mile (5.3km) features 58 laps full of challenges to drivers and yet its one of the faster tracks during the season.

Kimi Räikkönen driver of the #7 Alfa Romeo Racing C38, finished in 8th place. “Our car was pretty strong in the race, but then we got stuck behind cars and there is not much you can do. It seems that it is easier to get closer to the car in front of you but it’s still very hard to overtake. In addition, we had an issue with the temperature of the rear brakes as one of the tear-offs from the visor went in and that’s why we had to pit earlier than planned. But as I said, the car has a lot of speed and it felt good, so I’m looking forward to the race in Bahrain.” Räikkönen said after the race.

Alfa Romeo Racing driver Antonio Giovinazzi, took his #99 C38 to a 15th place finish in Melbourne. Giovinazzi told reporters, “It was a tough race. I picked up some damage to my car on lap 1 and after that it was challenging to stay up to speed. There were some battles and I did my best to defend my position. It was only the first race of the season, so I look forward to fighting for a stronger result in Bahrain.” 

“For the first race of the season, it was an ok race. We had some small issues which we could not have anticipated and both drivers put up a good fight. We are returning home with 4 points, which is a positive. To start the season with one car in the top ten is a good achievement and we will push hard to score some more points at the next Grand Prix in Bahrain.”, said Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing and CEO Sauber Motorsport AG, Frédéric Vasseur.

The F1 racing schedule now moves on to the Bahrain Grand Prix in two weeks. The Bahrain circuit is one of the more challenging as it features some of the racing under the floodlights and teams have difficulty finding decent setups with the fluctuations of temperatures between the sessions. You can watch the Bahrain Grand Prix live on Formula1.com or CLICK HERE to find a broadcast listing.