New Alfa Romeo breaks cover in special 'snakeskin' livery

Valentine’s Day heralded another reveal as Alfa Romeo’s C39 broke cover during a shakedown run in Italy – dressed to impress in a snake-themed testing livery – with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel.

On the same day as champions Mercedes unveiled their 2020 W11, Alfa Romeo unleashed their C39 at the Ferrari-owned Fiorano circuit near the town of Maranello, Italy.

With Antonio Giovinazzi and new reserve driver Robert Kubica watching on, the Ferrari-powered car completed a number of laps as part of a filming day, during which teams are limited to 100km of running.

The dark grey snakeskin paint scheme, complete with a heart-shaped Alfa Romeo logo on the engine cover, is not expected to be used this season, with the team teasing on Twitter "a snake goes through different skins before it reveals its final look".

On the same day last year, in a similar shakedown at Fiorano, the team ran with a one-off Valentine's Day livery, also with Raikkonen at the wheel.

The Hinwil-based squad will officially unveil their new car, which Raikkonen and team mate Antonio Giovinazzi will drive this season, on the morning of February 19 - the first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

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