Kimi Raikkonen would like to achieve the same success he had at Lotus with Alfa Romeo.

The 2007 world champion enjoyed a successful two years with what is now the Renault team, winning the season finale in Abu Dhabi in 2012, followed by the Australian Grand Prix in 2013.

Now, having left Ferrari to return to a progressing midfield team at the former Sauber outfit, the Finn believes one factor will be crucial.

"I hope so," he told AutoMoto when asked about the Lotus comparison. "But I don't know what our competitiveness is. The order in the middle is very close.

"It will also depend on who will make their car faster during the year. We will try to do a good job from the beginning and then go from there."

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Raikkonen's teammate Antonio Giovinazzi is also targeting a continuation of Alfa Romeo's momentum from 2018.

"Last year they had a fantastic season," he said. "They started at the back but by the end of the year were always in the top 10.

"We just have to start as they finished and then improve ourselves during the season, bringing home as many points as possible."