The last F1 team to reveal its 2022 contender was Alfa Romeo. It even ran a camouflage livery for the first phase of pre-season testing, which on its own is a pretty design as you can see below:
But now, the team’s new car has been revealed in full. Meet the gorgeous and colourful Alfa Romeo ORLEN C42! It has stuck with the red and white livery but the glossy, candy colours make the car look more stunning than ever. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it reminds me of the F1 car character from Cars 2, Francesco Bernoulli. The flowing font for the team’s name on the engine cover with the dash of green in the form of the quadrifoglio. It also features the best design for the aero discs that are pattern painted in white and red, giving the C42 more visual character than any other car revealed so far.
The C42’s body design is distinctive in its own right. It has large gaping side pods and flowing shapes for body and engine cover with louvres atop the sidepods, like the Aston Martin AMR22. The nose is tapered but not pointy with the front wing further away from the wheels than some other cars. In side-by-side comparisons, it bears the most similarity to the AMR22 than any other 2022 competitor. The C42 will be powered by the new engine from Ferrari that can run on a fuel blend composed of at least 10 per cent bio-ethanol.
Alfa Romeo is the only team on the grid with a fully revamped driver lineup for 2022. The C42 will be piloted by Valtteri Bottas and F1-debutant Guanyu Zhou. At the helm as Team Principal, the former Sauber team still features Frederic Vasseur. Reserve driver duties remain the responsibility of Robert Kubica.
The Alfa Romeo team has had a difficult couple of seasons with Ferrari’s lacklustre power unit and issues with the aerodynamic package. However, this fresh start with the new regulations should give the team to fight for points more consistently again, and perhaps aim for 7th in the Constructor’s Championship in 2022.
What do you make of the Alfa Romeo C42? Is it the prettiest car on the grid this year? Will Guanyu Zhou score points within his first three races? Share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to the Auto Loons for more F1 updates and news about cool cars.
The Auto Loons 