Alfa Romeo's pair of Formula One drivers recently put the new Giulia GTA sports sedan through its paces at the automaker's Balocco Proving Ground in Italy.

In a promotional video released Tuesday, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi did a few laps of a test circuit in camouflaged Giulia GTA prototypes. They were ostensibly called in to provide feedback on the GTA's adjustable rear wing, but more value was likely gleaned from emphasizing the connection between the F1 team and the GTA road car.

"I find them a perfect mix of everyday use and track use," famously tight-lipped 2007 F1 champion Räikkönen said in a statement of the GTA's aerodynamic upgrades. 

In addition to development work at Balocco, the GTA also spent some time in the F1 team's wind tunnel in Hinwil, Switzerland, according to a press release that accompanied the video. The tunnel's location is a reminder that the current Alfa team was originally a Sauber F1 team. Alfa came onboard as title sponsor for the 2018 season, and the Sauber name was dropped for the 2019 season.

Kimi Raikkonen drives a 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA prototype

Kimi Raikkonen drives a 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA prototype

Unveiled earlier this year, the GTA is a more hardcore variant of the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The GTA name was first used on the original Giulia in the 1960s, and is short for Gran Turismo Alleggerita, Italian for "Grand Touring Lightened." The original Giulia GTA was a racing homologation special, with just 500 examples built for the road.

The modern GTA is actually two cars—the standard GTA, and the extra-hardcore GTAm. Neither is designed for racing, but they get some track-worthy aerodynamic features, including a front splitter and revised under tray. The GTAm gets the aforementioned adjustable rear wing, plus a stripped-out interior with a roll bar in place of the rear seats, and front racing buckets with six-point harnesses.

Both cars get the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 from the Giulia Quadrifoglio, but with output increased from 505 horsepower to 532 hp. Those ponies are pushing 220 pounds less weight than in the Quadrifoglio, allowing for a 0-62 mph dash of 3.6 seconds with launch control, per Alfa.

In a nod to the original Giulia GTA, production is capped at 500 units. It's unclear if Alfa will offer the GTA in the United States, but the standard Giulia and the Quadrifoglio version receive a handful of updates for the 2020 model year.