Alfa Romeo to formally unveil C42 F1 car after first pre-season test

The team announced 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.

It is anticipated that the team 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.

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.

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 Motorsport.com 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.