Few teams can pack this amount of talent in a driver line-up: and with the determination, the skill and the hunger Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports will put into this year’s esports competition, there are fireworks to be expected.
Joining from Ferrari, Leigh is a name that is synonym with F1 Esports. A winner in the first-ever championship, in 2017, he did the double the following year and remains one of the most iconic drivers ever to grace the F1 game series. He’ll be out to reclaim the crown in the championship he dominated for years.
Alongside him, Ronhaar will aim to improve on last year’s third place in the drivers’ standings: he was one of the biggest talents to break through in the history of the F1 Esports series, winning two races and standing on the podium seven times as he etched his name on the global stage.
Finally, van Erven – another member of the Dutch school of sim-racing that has produced so much talent over the years – joins the team to improve on his head-turning charge to P6 in Imola last season, his best result in the F1 Esports series and the harbinger of things to come.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “We are proud to unveil the strongest driver line-up in the history of our team, one that will give us the chance to fight at the front of the field for the entirety of the season. Brendon, Thomas and Matthijs are unquestionably quick drivers and, with the support our team will offer, they will be in the conditions to give their best. Our objective is clear: we want to win races, we want to fight for the championship. We have made a significant investment, with the Sauber Esports Arena and the expansion of our esports programme, and now we are out to get some important results: this is the line-up that will give us the chance to do so. This announcement marks only the first step of our global strategy on esports, which will become a major asset in our fan-centric initiatives aiming to get closer to our audience.”
Brendon Leigh: “I’m extremely proud and honoured to represent Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports, and grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given. As a team, we are focused and determined to maximise our potential in this year’s F1 Esports Pro Championship. The structure and support we have internally give me great confidence that we have the potential to be battling for the top positions - I can say that with certainty, We all will push forward with the ambition of bringing championship glory to the team.”
Thomas Ronhaar: “I am very excited for the upcoming F1 Esports season with Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK Esports. Driving for this team is a dream come true, and it is going to be an amazing year together with my team-mates. I know Matthijs well, from the year we spent together last season, and there is so much more we can do. Brendon needs no introduction: he is a legend of the sport, but most importantly, he’s a great guy and I’m looking forward to an amazing time together.”
Matthijs van Erven: “I’m very happy to start working with Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK: I’m sure we have the right people in this project to aim for the championship at the end of the year. For me, it’s a bit of a comeback as I was with this team, briefly, in 2020, and there’s so much more I want to achieve. We are all very motivated to work hard again, master the new game and be as fast as possible.”'
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press@sauber-group.comWill Ponissi, Senior Communications Manager, william.ponissi@sauber-group.com
Katharina Rees, Communications Manager, katharina.rees@sauber-group.com
Elena Rovelli, Communications Manager, elena.rovelli@sauber-group.com
About Sauber Group of Companies:
The Sauber Group of Companies is composed of two operational entities: Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates and manages its Formula OneTM team; and Sauber Technologies AG, which focuses on third-party business in the areas of advanced engineering, prototype development and additive manufacturing, in addition to full and model-scale testing in the factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel and ground-breaking innovation in the field of aerodynamics. The companies collaborate closely and share know-how to apply the expertise of more than 550 dedicated individuals at the headquarter in Hinwil, Switzerland, to all internal and external projects.
The Sauber Group puts sustainability at the heart of its mission; its business, operating under the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, has been carbon neutral since 2011 and the company has achieved the Three-Star level in the FIA Environmental Accreditation Framework.
Since its founding in 1970, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. A member of the exclusive club of teams which competed in more than 500 F1 races, it celebrated 30 years in the sport in 2022 and continues to go from strength to strength on and off the track.
The Sauber Group puts sustainability at the heart of its mission; its business, operating under the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, has been carbon neutral since 2011 and the company has achieved the Three-Star level in the FIA Environmental Accreditation Framework.
Since its founding in 1970, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. A member of the exclusive club of teams which competed in more than 500 F1 races, it celebrated 30 years in the sport in 2022 and continues to go from strength to strength on and off the track.