Formula One: Supporting Cast Ready for Stardom

As the formula one set roared into town to prepare for the first race of the new season the mood was of something slightly amiss. For the first time since 1992 Michael Schumacher, the dominant driver of his generation, will not be on the grid for the Australian grand prix.

The seven-times world champion, who retired last October, has not had to make the 22-hour flight from Europe in his luxurious Falcon 2000EX private jet and one veteran formula one insider compared it to going out to a top West End show only to find its cast-topping star had been taken ill and the role taken by a willing understudy.

Yet if there was a touch of nostalgia about Schumacher's retirement among the older brigade in the paddock, the sport's young guns seemed intent that the waters be allowed to close over his memory as quickly as was decently possible.

"I will not miss him," Fernando Alonso said firmly from the McLaren-Mercedes camp where he is launching his campaign for a third consecutive world championship. The Spaniard received many driving lessons from Schumacher and pointedly refused to amplify his observation, instead giving the briskly delivered impression that he himself is the most likely contender to achieve domination of the next grand prix generation.

Similarly Kimi Raikkonen, the man who has moved from McLaren to take Schumacher's seat at Ferrari, coolly played down the fact that he had spoken to his predecessor during winter testing. "I have seen him a few times and spoken a few times, but that is all," he said. "Sure it was useful. I saw him before we started to test and during the one test. But we haven't really spoken too much."

The Finn was asked if he was fazed by the prospect of replacing Schumacher and replied: "Not really. I've got expectations on myself. I want to win races and fight for the championship."

He continued: "It's always exciting, especially with a new team. Everything is new. We've done a lot of testing but it's the race that matters. The car seems good so it's exciting to get to the first race and see how it goes. We want a good strong race as a team and we'll just have to see what happens. It's a big difference with a new team of good people to work with. It seems to be going very well. It has been an exciting month and a nice experience."

Casting his eye on the likely front runners, Raikkonen said: "McLaren has been strong in testing, Renault was quite good and BMW. These three teams will be our main rivals but we will wait and see."

Raikkonen's team-mate Felipe Massa thought Schumacher would be missed. The Brazilian said: "Schumacher was the most complete driver in formula one. People will miss him, especially in the beginning of the championship. As long as the championship starts to be more interesting and attractive, with more competition going on, I think people will start to get used to formula one without Michael."

Absent from the paddock at Albert Park the German may be but his reputation endures in the pent-up momentum of the Ferrari team. According to Sir Jackie Stewart, the retired three-times world champion, this momentum stems from the financial firepower they have deployed for the past decade.

"They are still riding high from their technical spend over the last five years or so," said the Scot. "They've spent an enormous amount, because of Schumacher pressuring them to do so, Ross Brawn motivating everybody and Jean Todt getting approval to keep spending that sort of money. These people all had enormously powerful credentials, and although Michael and Ross have gone their effect is still being felt."

Ralf Schumacher might have been forgiven for a touch of sentimentality over the departure of his elder brother but in recent weeks his focus has been the worrying testing form of his new Toyota.

"Formula one has always had very well known people in it and they all have left and formula one has survived and it is the same for my brother," he said. "For me personally it is certainly a strange season without him, but that's the way it is. He certainly deserved his retirement and now he has time to enjoy his family, and that's more important."