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As the partnership between Sauber and Alfa Romeo enters its final season, FanF1 looks back at one of the Italian brand's most iconic symbols: the four-leaf clover.
The four-leaf clover has become almost as iconic for Alfa Romeo as its prancing horse, a small logo that has survived more than a century of triumphs, tragedies, and a brief but intense period in Formula 1. When Alfa Romeo returned to the F1 starting grid in 2018 as the main sponsor of the Sauber team, this partnership was initially seen as a marketing ploy. After just one season, the two parties strengthened their bond by renaming the team Alfa Romeo Racing. The name change signaled the Italian brand's desire to be taken seriously in the sport, and the trefoil, still present on every car built in Hinwil, served as a visual reminder of the brand's heritage.
The history of this symbol began much earlier, on the winding roads of the Targa Florio, the legendary Italian car race that took place from 1906 to 1977. In the 1920s, one of the four Alfa Romeos entered was driven by Alberto Ascari, future two-time world champion with Ferrari, while another was driven by Enzo Ferrari himself. However, neither man invented the Quadrifoglio Verde. It was Ugo Sivocci, a friend of Ferrari's known for his bad luck, who painted a four-leaf clover on his car in the hope of changing his fate. The gamble paid off: Sivocci won the race, while Ascari stalled just before the finish line.
Unfortunately, the protective power of the clover proved to be short-lived. During a test at Monza, Sivocci was killed in an accident while driving a car that did not bear the clover. From that moment on, the four-leaf emblem on a white background was affixed to all Alfa Romeo race cars as a tribute to the late driver and as a talisman for future competitors.
Today, the Quadrifoglio Verde adorns not only the F1 cars that carried the Alfa Romeo crest during Sauber's renaissance, but also the high-performance road models that roll out of the Milan factory. As the 2023 season draws to a close and Alfa Romeo prepares to leave the championship, the team is expected to bid farewell to the emblem in fitting style. After all, this year marks the centenary of the clover's first appearance, a hundred years of luck, losses, and the relentless pursuit of speed.
