Raikkonen believes Sauber can be successful in 2019

Sauber have made significant steps since the end of last season, a season in which they only scored five points, to now being part of the midfield and being able to attract a driver with the talent of Kimi Raikkonen.

Their improvement was vast, even though they still finished eighth, above just Toro Rosso and Williams.

However, especially towards the end of the season, the team were regulars in Q3 and scored points in six of the last seven races.

And their new driver Kimi Raikkonen, who is returning to the team where he started his F1 career, believes that his new team has everything they need to be successful in 2019.

He said: "I see no reason why we should not be able to perform well.

"They have all the tools, they have a great wind tunnel and they have everything they need to build a great car and we have a Ferrari engine so we know what we're getting."

The Finn tested the car in Abu Dhabi and said the car did not feel completely different to his Ferrari.

He added: "It felt very familiar, obviously another car looks a bit different, but the feeling that I had while driving was not completely different."

"We only tested tires and did not really work on the set-up and we drove a few laps to see what it feels like. It was alright for the first impression.”