The Haas Formula 1 team’s sponsorship negotiations went down, according to Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, because the team didn’t want to be associated with another “sticker.”

Alfa Romeo left Formula One at the end of 1985 as a constructor, but in 2018 it rejoined the Sauber-run team on a multi-year technical and commercial contract.

The Italian carmaker took over as the team’s title sponsor a year later, however that agreement has ended in advance of the Hinwil squad’s switch to a works Audi entry starting in 2026.

But there were whispers that Alfa Romeo was considering his alternatives to stay in Formula One, which gave rise to stories that Imparato and Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner had a meeting.

In response to a question in June concerning Haas’s partnership with Alfa Romeo, Steiner stated: “Many people [are] telling me that; Alfa Romeo is the only one who hasn’t told me that yet.”

It is evident that they are investigating their future plans, and based just on an introduction, I believe they came to see us.

It goes without saying that there was nothing to conceal—we merely said hello. Furthermore, I have no idea what they will do in the future.

However, that conjecture did not result in a deal; Imparato has since revealed that Alfa Romeo wished to stay away from a repeat of the partnership it had maintained with Sauber.

Imparato told Autosport, “We weren’t interested in trying to do a copy/paste operation in the style of the one done with Sauber.”

It would have made us adopt the practice of adhering stickers on body art. We wouldn’t have been a part of a story, and it wouldn’t have been new.