The birth in 2008 of a new man

Kimi Räikkönen, present this weekend for the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia, feels like he has become a different man compared to what he was 12 months ago.

The Finn dominated the Melbourne event in 2007 but then needed some time to find his footing before achieving a year-end full of victories and emotion.

« Personally, I feel a huge difference at the start of this season compared to 2007, » said Räikkönen.

« Now, I know the team and especially the way it works, and there are no possible surprises. »

« I have built a real relationship with my engineers to understand each other: They know my perspective for setting up my single-seater. »

Räikkönen is very eager to get back to the racing atmosphere and insists that the F2008 is even better positioned to win the championship this year than the F2007.

« I believe we are going to Melbourne with a competitive car. The tests during the winter went very well and we have done everything we could, » he explained.

« The team has done an excellent job, especially in areas where we were not strong in 2007, such as the car’s attitude in the corners. We need to be strong in every situation. »

He concluded: « I am really satisfied with how the tests went. We have a single-seater that is powerful, fast, competitive, and reliable. We must fight to achieve the maximum number of victories to be in a more than ideal position in both championships. »