The Alfa Romeo Racing C39 is a Formula One car constructed by

Alfa Romeo Racing Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated many times in Formula One. It currently participates as Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen while being operated by Sauber Motorsport AG. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor ...

to compete in the

2020 Formula One World Championship The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 71st running of the Formula One World Championship. It marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers' Cham ...

. The car was driven by

Kimi Räikkönen Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One Wo ...

and Antonio Giovinazzi, returning for their second year with the team. Robert Kubica acted as the team's reserve driver. The car was planned to make its competitive debut at the

2020 Australian Grand Prix The 2020 Australian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was due to be held on 15 March 2020 in Melbourne, Victoria. The race was to be contested at the Albert Park Circ ...

, but this was delayed when the race was cancelled and the next three events in Bahrain, Vietnam and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

were postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The C39 made its debut at the

2020 Austrian Grand Prix The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Großer Preis von Österreich 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 5 July 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The race was the opening round of th ...

. The chassis was designed by Jan Monchaux,

Luca Furbatto Luca Furbatto (born 11 May 1972) is an Italian Formula One engineer. He is currently the engineering director at the Aston Martin Formula One team. Biography After working graduating in mechanical engineering at the Politecnico di Torino in Ita ...

, Lucia Conconi, Alessandro Cinelli and

Nicolas Hennel Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

with the car being powered with a customer

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

powertrain.

Competition history

Prior to pre season testing, Alfa Romeo painted the car in a "snake skin" livery. The car then went back to its competition livery for pre season testing. At the season opening

's right front tyre came off prompting retirement. Antonio Giovinazzi finished 9th, giving Alfa Romeo two points. At the

2020 Styrian Grand Prix The 2020 Styrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Großer Preis der Steiermark 2020) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 12 July 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. It was the second roun ...

, Räikkönen finished in 11th place and Giovinazzi finished 14th, both 1 lap down. At the

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix The 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Aramco Magyar Nagydíj 2020) was a Formula One motor race held on 19 July 2020 at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary. The race was the third round of the 2020 Formula One World ...

, Räikkönen was too far forward at the start, rendering him out of position. He was given a five-second penalty for this during the race. The cars were the last two finishers, after qualifying on the back row. Although the car began the season at the back of the grid, it has gradually improved as the season has progressed, including a 12th-place finish ahead of both works

Ferraris Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company buil ...

by Räikkönen at the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (French language, French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German language, German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula O ...

. As with the

Ferrari SF1000 The Ferrari SF1000 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Ferrari, which competed in the 2020 Formula One World Championship. The SF1000 was driven by Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc in 2020. The car was planned ...

, and fellow Ferrari engine customers Haas' entry, the VF-20, the car has been consistently hampered by a lack of power from its Ferrari engine and thus has struggled to compete with other midfield teams, especially at power-dependent circuits. In most races, they race at the back of the grid with Haas and Williams.

Later use

A modified C39 was used during testing of the 2022 tyre compounds after the

2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 12 December 2021 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Contested over a dista ...

Complete Formula One results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.

References

External links

C39 2020 Formula One season cars {{F1-stub