Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen unveils C42

Alfa Romeo’s Formula 1 racing team finally revealed its entry for the 2022 season: the C42.

The race car will no longer be wearing the special camouflage livery it had on during its pre-season run at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last weekend.

Instead, it will be donning the Hinwil-based crew’s red and white colors, which Alfa Romeo says, recalls the historical designs of years past and the heritage of Alfa Romeo and Sauber Motorsport.

Complementing its sophisticated front wing and aggressive-looking side pods is the new livery — designed by the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo — that gives the car a powerful and recognizable identity. The engine area, which houses the power unit supplied by Ferrari, is painted red and features a diagonal cross-section that conveys the dynamism of the car's body.

The historic Alfa Romeo lettering on the diagonal cross-section of the housing of the power unit of the C42 serves as a reference to the early 20th century while the name “Tonale,” (the first CSUV unveiled recently), can be seen below.

The “Quadrifoglio” symbol can be found in the upper section of the engine housing, alongside the diagonal dividing line between red and white paint. The Italian flag is included on the back of the spoiler—proudly featuring the “Alfa Romeo” wording.

“As we unveil the C42, it may feel like the start of a new season: we know, however, that this launch is just a milestone in a much longer journey in which our whole staff in Hinwil has invested so much time, resource, and energies. Designing and building this car has been a huge undertaking and we can be proud of what we have achieved, but our work is not finished. As always in a new rules cycle, the development curve will be at its steepest this season and we need to continue extracting new performance out of the C42 to make the progress we have set as an objective for ourselves,” said Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen Technical Director Jan Monchaux.

Following the new regulations cycle, the C42 is built with a new ground-effect floor and an updated aerodynamic package. It rides on 18-inch wheels with low-profile tires.

"The start of the season is always an exciting time, one in which we see the fruit of the work of hundreds of people over a long period of time. The C42 is a car we look forward to seeing racing, not just because it is the first we built in this new regulations cycle, one in which racing should be closer and more thrilling, but because we have the utmost confidence in this car helping the team make a big step forward towards the front of the grid,” said Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur.

The C42 will be driven by former Mercedes driver and 10-time winner Valtteri Bottas as well as the first Formula 1 driver from China, Zhou Guanyu.

“I am impressed by our new car, the C42. It’s my first car at Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen, of course, which makes it special, and I am really looking forward to being on the grid in Bahrain with it. What is exciting is that we have no idea how that first race is going to pan out. Testing helped us confirm our expectations of where we stand, the progress we have made with the car, but now we are getting closer to the moment that really matters. Since I joined, I have seen so much motivation within this team: everyone is pushing a lot, trying to work harder than the others to be competitive, and that in turn gives me that extra boost when I am in the cockpit,” said Bottas.

Guanyu added, “I am fully pumped up for the season, and seeing the C42 in the livery in which I will race it definitely makes it real. We are at the beginning of a new era, with new cars and new regulations, and this creates an opportunity for all teams to make progress since we are all starting from scratch. Everyone at Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen has been incredibly helpful since I joined and seeing all the hard work, the commitment and motivation from everyone, in Hinwil and at the track, fills me with pride and excitement. I can’t wait to be on the grid with this car and work with my team to bring home the results we are targeting together.”

The C42 will next hit the track wearing its new livery at the second pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 10 to 12.

Photos from Stellantis 

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