Alfa Romeo will return to Formula 1 this season in a tie-up with the Sauber F1 team as it looks to boost its profile and sell more cars in the future, but its involvement in motorsport might not stop there according to Sergio Marchionne.
Marchionne, CEO of Alfa Romeo's parent company FIAT Chrysler Automobiles, as well as being president of Ferrari, orchestrated the Italian manufacturer's return to F1 and most recently floated the idea of Maserati – another FCA brand – linking up with an existing IndyCar team.
However more recently Marchionne has said the idea of Alfa Romeo getting into IndyCar is being thought about, particularly as the brand wants to expand its presence in North America.
“Why not Alfa Romeo in IndyCar?” he asked. “We are thinking about it.
"Gian Paolo Dallara (designer and supplier of every IndyCar chassis) – I consider him a great, the best Italian engineer around," added Marchionne.
Meanwhile IndyCar's president of competition and operations, Jay Frye, confirmed a number of manufactuer's had expressed an interest in joining the series, but wouldn't confirm if one of those was Alfa Romeo.
"Over the last several months, particularly since our 2017 season ended, we have had numerous meetings with OEMs about the prospects of becoming partners with IndyCar," he told Motorsport. "We've had around 10 of them – some initial meetings, some follow-ups.
"So I can say there's been a lot of enthusiasm and positive response to that and so we're very encouraged – switching back to a universal aerokit has removed a major technical and financial hurdle for any potential OEMs. And so there's been really good activity and responses."
