The newly re-branded Alfa Romeo squad took to the pitlane in Barcelona to unveil its 2019 car just minutes before pre-season testing began.

All nine other teams had unveiled the car, with Ferrari the most recent on Friday, leaving only the Alfa Romeo Racing C38 to be officialled revealed.

The car had already been seen in a camouflage livery at Fiorano performing a shakedown test last week, with the reveal in Barcelona showing off a largely unchanged livery from 2018.

Most notable in fact was the all-new driver lineup of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, who replace Marcus Ericsson and the Ferrari-bound Charles Leclerc.

The new car does feature an aggressive front end, a design headed by former Ferrari man Simone Resta.

When the new car was spotted testing in Fiorano much attention was focused on its unusual front wing and nose section, which is uniquely sculptured in comparison to its rivals.

“Since joining the team last year, I have seen progressive growth on all fronts and am very pleased to see the result of the hard work completed over the course of this winter, our 2019 Formula One contender, the new Alfa Romeo Racing C38,” Resta said.

“All departments have been collaborating well and the whole team has been pushing in the same direction.

“We have set ambitious targets for this season which brings along a significant change in regulations – mainly from an aerodynamic point of view.

“We have a great driver line-up and look forward to hearing their feedback in the next two weeks of testing ahead of the first Grand Prix in Melbourne.”

It’s thought the solution is an extension of the simplified front wing regulations, and is designed to help channel air around the front wheels in an attempt to clean up the airflow reaching the turning vanes.

Alfa Romeo took over naming rights to the Sauber team during the off-season, the Italian marque holding close ties to Ferrari while having its own long history in Formula 1.

Giuseppe Farina won the inaugural F1 world championship driving a Alfa Romeo 158 in 1950, with the marque having a sporadic interest as a manufacturer and engine supplier ever since.

The new car continues to feature a Ferrari power unit and much of its running gear through a technical alliance between the two teams, which has only been strengthened by the re-branding.

The opening pre-season test of the 2019 got underway 30 minutes after Alfa Romeo’s unveil.