Raikkonen raring to go

Kimi Raikkonen will start his first grand prix as Formula One world champion on Sunday, determined to pick up in Australia where he left off in Brazil last season.

Ferrari's Finn won in Melbourne from pole position last March and rounded off an amazing year with two victories to beat McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to the title by a single point.

Few would bet against the 'Iceman' chalking up a third successive win for a team now under new leadership, with Stefano Domenicali taking over from Jean Todt as principal but looking as strong as ever.

The Albert Park circuit has favoured Ferrari in the past, although it promises to be trickier now that traction control and other electronic 'driver aids' have been banned. The champions have shown an impressive turn of speed in pre-season testing.

"It is always nice to get off to a good start," Raikkonen said on his website ( www.kimiraikkonen.com ).

"I know it happened last year but we sort of lost our way after that. It would be nice to be leading the championship with the other drivers playing catch up."

The Finn, who won six races last year, said the 2008 car was strong, fast, competitive and reliable and expected Ferrari to be fighting for victory in every race and for both championships.

"Personally, I feel there is a big difference to start this season compared to last year," he added.

"I know the team and how they work. There will be no surprises. I've built up a good relationship with my engineers and we understand each other and they also know how I like to have my car set up."

Apart from his Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa, Raikkonen's main rival will again be McLaren's Hamilton.

The 23-year-old Briton was sensational in Melbourne last year, leading for four laps and taking third place on his debut after overtaking double world champion Alonso into the first corner.

"My motivation is even higher than last year but in a slightly different way," Hamilton told British reporters before flying out to Melbourne.

"I would say last year was an uncontrollable determination and excitement and just not really knowing what was coming up, just going into the deep blue. Now I know what to expect."

Raikkonen will also have to watch out for his own compatriot Heikki Kovalainen, the Finn who has taken Alonso's place at McLaren after one year with Renault.

Alonso has returned to the French team that took him to his two titles but is playing down his immediate chances of winning anything with a team that had just one top three finish in 2007.

"I know that a win or a podium in Australia will be difficult but you never know what can happen during the race," the Spaniard said in a team preview. "If an opportunity presents itself, I am ready to seize it."

Melbourne will also give some indication of the 2008 pecking order, with BMW Sauber hoping to be challenging for their first win this season and former champions Williams confident that they have a far better car than last year.

Force India, formerly Spyker, make their first race appearance while France's Sebastien Bourdais and Brazil's Nelson Piquet junior will be hoping to score on their debuts for Toro Rosso and Renault respectively.

Australian GP facts and figures

Venue: Albert Park - 5.303 km (3.295 miles) street circuit. Race to be held over 58 laps (307.574 km/191.110 miles).

Start time: 05:30 (Malta time).

2007 pole position: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari, 1:26.072.

Lap record: Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari, 1:24.125 (2004).

Last three races in Melbourne

2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari
Raikkonen won on his Ferrari debut after starting on pole. Alonso was second for McLaren with debutant Hamilton, who overtook his Spanish team-mate at the start, third after leading for four laps. Ferrari's Felipe Massa started at the back of the grid due to an engine change and finished sixth.

2006 - Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault
Alonso took his second win of the season in an incident-packed race. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and team-mate Felipe Massa both crashed. Jenson Button started on pole and failed to finish after his engine caught fire.

2005 - Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault
Fisichella's second career win came from pole after a rain-hit qualifying. Schumacher started on the back row and retired after a collision with German compatriot Nick Heidfeld. Alonso roared from 13th to third. Raikkonen started from the pitlane after stalling on the grid.