The C38's chassis was designed by Simone Resta, Luca Furbatto, Ian Wright, Jan Monchaux and Nicolas Hennel. The car was powered by a customer Ferrari powertrain consisting of a 1600cc V6 engine with a single turbocharger. The Energy Recovery System accumulated energy in a battery pack and deployed it through a 120 kW electric motor. The C38 used an eight-speed gearbox, six-piston Brembo brake callipers, and carbon-composite discs and pads from Carbon Industries. The chassis was a carbon-composite monocoque with double-wishbone front suspension using inboard spring and damper units actuated by push-rods, and multilink rear suspension with inboard elements actuated by pull-rods.
At the opening race in Australia, Räikkönen finished eighth, scoring Alfa Romeo's first points in Formula One since the 1984 European Grand Prix. Räikkönen followed this with three consecutive points finishes including seventh in Bahrain and ninth in China. In Azerbaijan, his car failed a front wing deflection test, forcing him to start from the pit lane; he recovered to tenth.
At the German Grand Prix, Räikkönen qualified fifth — the team's best grid position of the season. During the rain-affected race, Räikkönen and Giovinazzi initially finished seventh and eighth, but post-race stewards found the team had used a form of traction control during the wet race start. Both drivers received 30-second time penalties, dropping them to twelfth and thirteenth. Alfa Romeo's subsequent appeal was rejected.
A particularly strong result came at the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix, where both drivers capitalised on retirements and incidents ahead. Räikkönen was classified fourth and Giovinazzi fifth, the best combined result of the season for the C38.
At the Singapore Grand Prix, Giovinazzi led four laps of the race, making the C38 the first Alfa Romeo Formula One car to lead a Grand Prix lap since the 183T in 1983.
Giovinazzi scored points on two occasions in 2019, both representing milestones in his Formula One career. His first career point came in Austria, where he finished tenth. Giovinazzi also scored ninth at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The season concluded with a poor showing at Abu Dhabi, where neither driver progressed beyond Q1 or scored points.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, the C38 carried an image of the Alfa Romeo 158, the car with which Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One World Championship race in 1950. At the Italian Grand Prix, the car featured a special livery incorporating the Italian flag, with Räikkönen's car displaying a Stelvio and Giovinazzi's car a Giulia from the Alfa Romeo road car range.
The C38 successfully re-established Alfa Romeo as a recognised team identity in Formula One after decades away. Räikkönen contributed 43 of the team's 57 championship points while Giovinazzi added 14 in his rookie season. The car demonstrated that the rebranded Sauber operation could compete credibly in the midfield while laying the groundwork for subsequent seasons of development.
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