According to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 2019 Alfa Romeo will have a radical shape as it has been designed with “as little caution as possible”.

It been designed by former Ferrari designer Simone Resta and will feature “interesting innovations” not seen on any other F1 car so far.

As to what these innovations are, is anyone’s guess. Obviously we’ve yet to see any other 2019 car but presumably the Italian newspaper is referring to previous Formula 1 cars over the recent years relating to the current formula.

The paper also states that team boss Frederic Vasseur has also recruited staff heavily over the winter period, using the new investment from Fiat Chrysler and Ferrari in a bid to progress the team and be a worthy ‘junior’ outfit to Scuderia Ferrari.

Obvious investments from Ferrari that are not financial include Kimi Raikkonen and Simone Resta.

Several commenters on the new Alfa Romeo team certainly see the new arrangement between Ferrari and what was Sauber (in name), being the Italian’s answer to the Red Bull / Toro Rosso situation. A junior squad to prove young drivers but also a car prove design concepts before the senior team, vital in this era of restricted testing of highly technical regulation.

Other relatively recent ‘interesting innovations’ unlike any other include the 2014 Lotus (now Renault), with their twin nose design.

In 2004 Williams debuted the ‘Walrus’ nosed car, and in 2010 McLaren ran their incredible ‘F-duct’ car to exploit purposely stalling the rear wing by using clever internal switchable aero ducting.