Alfa Romeo Racing tested its 2019 F1 car at Fiorano on Thursday

Images courtesy of Alfa Romeo Racing

Kimi Räikkönen drove the new Alfa Romeo 2019 Formula 1 car at Fiorano, Italy, on Thursday. 

The 2019 F1 challenger was dressed in a one-off testing livery, much like the recently unveiled Red Bull RB15.

“We had a good session on track,” said Räikkönen after the day’s shakedown.

“The car felt good and I was able to get a first impression of the car we will be running this season. We will work on the last few details and head to Barcelona for two weeks of testing. I look forward to getting to know the car better there.”

Alfa Romeo Racing technical director Simone Resta added: “After a long winter we are happy to be on track with our new car for the first time. The focus of our work today was on aerodynamic, set-up and cooling checks.

“We ran for a total of 33 laps and will use our data to establish how the new regulations will affect the behaviour of our car. The next two weeks which we will spend in Barcelona will be busy and will concentrate on proving the car’s reliability and performance.”

Räikkönen will partner Antonio Giovinazzi for the 2019 F1 season, and their car will be officially unveiled at the start of F1 testing in Spain on February 18.

View the gallery of the 2019 Alfa Romeo F1 car, decked in Valentine’s Day-themed livery, below.