Kimi Raikkonen covered the first 100 km in Alfa Romeo’s new Formula 1 car during a shakedown on Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Friday.
The new car, known as the C39, is not due to hit the market until next week on Wednesday, but Alfa Romeo announced on Friday morning that it is participating in a previously unannounced day of shooting.
The engine cover of the Alfa Romeo has a logo in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day. Alfa Romeo
Teaser photos on Instagram and Twitter showed a black snakeskin-style paint job, unique to Friday’s shakedown, before the race’s paint job was unveiled at the official start of the car at Circuit de Catalunya. The snakeskin pattern is inspired by the Alfa Romeo logo, which shows a giant snake eating a red man, and is based on the symbol of the influential Visconti family from Milan from the 11th century.
“Just as a moulting snake sheds its skin in order to grow, this painting must soon give way to a new incarnation,” says a press release. “By the time the blanket comes off the C39 on Wednesday next week, the snake will be gone and its skin will peel off to reveal a new, fresh look to face the challenge ahead.”
Another feature of the unique paint job was the badge on the engine cover and nose of the car, which is shaped like a heart – a nod to the timing of the Fiorano test on Valentine’s Day.
The photo shows that the new car is an evolution of last year’s C38. The team has continued its inboard-loaded front wing design and similar side pods from last year with an extreme attitude. Like Haas, another Ferrari Motors customer, Alfa Romeo modified its airbox design to mimic the triangular roll-up frame used by Ferrari last season and continued this year, though the C39 has additional intakes on top of the car Has.
Even snakes have hearts.
Happy Valentine’s Day … 
# C39 pic.twitter.com/mNaUyfrlrD
– Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN (@alfaromeoracing) February 14, 2020
Each team is allowed to hold two days of shooting per year on which it is allowed to drive its car 100 km outside of the official F1 racing and test schedule.
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The Fiorano circuit is opposite Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters. Due to the collaboration between the two teams through parent company FCA, Alfa Romeo, which is based at the Sauber facility in Switzerland, has chosen the venue for the first few kilometers of its car ahead of the official tests ahead of the season next week.
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