Alfa Romeo Racing Team Principal Frederic Vasseur is raring to go with his squad running an all-new driver line-up of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi.
The Frenchman is hoping Alfa Romeo can push towards the top of the midfield and perhaps mount a challenge with the front of the grid.
The 2019 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Albert Park tends to throw up a surprise to kickstart a new campaign and Vasseur believes his team can begin the year in that manner.
“Our arrival in Melbourne symbolises the start of another big opportunity for our team after making excellent progress and showing our potential over the past year,” Vasseur said.
“We are eager to have a positive start to the 2019 season. We have a great driver line-up and a strong backing from our team across all departments – at our factory as well as at the race track.
“I look forward to seeing where we stand in these early stages and we will push hard to continue working our way up the ranks in the coming months.”
Alfa Romeo’s predecessors Sauber have not scored in five of their last six visits to Australia but did stun the paddock in the 2015 curtain raiser when Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson finished fifth and eighth respectively.
The Italian team will be hoping to replicate the feat on Sunday.
