Andrea - What If? Part 3
Towards the end of the 1982 season the Alfa Romeo team was poised for breakthrough. Though the year’s results had been meagre, several positive measures of potential were in place. Much of the credit for the improvement of the 182 was owed to Gerard Ducarouge, and he was being retained. The 1.5 V8 turbo engine – which had been unveiled as long ago as 1980 – had been seen, albeit briefly at Monza, in a hack 182T, and the ‘proper’ turbo car, the 183T, was ready enough for winter testing at Paul Ricard – where it managed fastest time - and Rio. The Marlboro sponsorship was set to continue, and Andrea could be seen as an ongoing team-leader, lending stability and continuity. But . . . at this very turning point, the opportunity was discarded. Fundamentally, Alfa Romeo – a state-owned, commercially underperforming car manufacturer – had neither the heart nor the funds to step up to the challenge. The company’s chairman, Ettore Massacesi, had a range of severe problems to tackle, most ...