Early this morning, Sauber F1 unveiled their 2018 car which wore a striking red-and-white Alfa Romeo livery. With their new title sponsor, the Swiss team is opening embracing their ties with the prancing horse, Ferrari. Alfa Romeo is a sister company to Ferrari. Additionally, Sauber welcomed Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari protege and Formula 2 champion, to their driver roster for 2018. They will also be running Ferrari engines again this year.

The 2018 livery features a large Alfa logo prominently on the engine cover portion, as well as “Alfa Romeo” in contrasting white text on the rear wing. Aside from the red and Alfa branding, the car is rather devoid of other logos or design cues. Even so, it is arguably one of the most striking liveries to be released so far, and certainly draws attention.

After a rather disappointing season in the back of the pack last year, Sauber are hoping that with fresh talent and better financial backing they will be more competitive this year. In addition to their new sponsor, Ferrari have agreed to supply them with new engines for 2018. Last year, Sauber ran year-old engines, which could have been a major contributing factor to their struggles. It is doubtful that they will make the leap to championship contender, but the drastic changes will hopefully generate some exciting pressure from the back-marker teams.