Alfa Romeo to formally unveil C42 F1 car after first pre-season test
Alfa Romeo will not formally launch its new Formula 1 car for the 2022 season until after the first pre-season test in Barcelona later this month.
The team confirmed on Wednesday that its new car, named the C42, will be officially launched on 27 February - two days after the opening test comes to an end.
According to Alfa Romeo, the C42 car will be unveiled in its full livery through a digital launch, with images and videos released to the public and media” on the morning of 27 February.
The team has confirmed that it will run the C42 car in a special livery for the first pre-season test, which runs from 23-25 February at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, prior to the final design being unveiled.
Alfa Romeo heads into the 2022 season with an all-new line-up featuring former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and Formula 2 graduate Guanyu Zhou.
Both drivers will get a chance to sample the car during the Barcelona running prior to its official launch, which will be followed by the second pre-season test in Bahrain on 10-12 March. The opening race of the season will also take place in Bahrain on 20 March.
It makes Alfa Romeo the seventh team to officially confirm its launch plans ahead of the new season. Red Bull, Williams and Haas are the only outfits yet to announce when their new cars will be unveiled.
Bottas and Zhou replace outgoing duo Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for the 2022 season, and will look to breathe fresh life into the team’s fortunes after it slipped to ninth in the constructors’ championship last year.
The arrival of Zhou is set to bring additional financial backing to the Swiss-based team thanks to sponsorship from China, allowing it to run close to the budget cap. Team principal Frederic Vasseur told Autosport in December he thought it would result in a “different mentality” for the squad moving forward.
The team has undergone a subtle name change for the new season, changing from Alfa Romeo Racing to Alfa Romeo F1 Team, and will continue to carry title sponsorship from Orlen, the backer of reserve driver Robert Kubica.
Alfa Romeo has previously conducted shakedowns in February using a special Valentine’s Day livery, as seen in both 2019 and 2020.
Share Or Save This Story
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
F1 Monaco GP 1982 retrospective: Remembering F1's craziest finish
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
What F1 history tells us about three-way title deciders
F1’s first and latest pacesetters: Alfa Romeo 158 vs McLaren MCL39
How Enzo Ferrari put an end to his former employer’s era of grand prix supremacy
WRC Finland: Ogier in command after torrential rain shakes up order
New commercial rights holder announced for the WRC and ERC in landmark deal
The principles Stella holds dear at McLaren to make the F1 team tick
The challenge Haas faces in trying to meet F1 budget cap: "Fighting with both hands tied"
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments