Raikkonen Out to Make His Mark on Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen's intuitive, instinctive talent crackles like high-tension static, as if he believes that the 2007 formula one world championship could be the one that defines his career. One thing is certain: this weekend he will be desperate to stamp his own dynamic identity on the Ferrari team in the daunting role of Michael Schumacher's successor.

The 27-year-old Finn accelerated his Ferrari F2007 on to the circuit for the first time here at Albert Park knowing he was under immense scrutiny as the pretender to that particular crown. In terms of driving skill there is no question mark over his capability, his exuberant style raising echoes of such uninhibited performers as Ronnie Peterson and Gilles Villeneuve, dazzling stars of earlier generations.

Certainly his emergence from the pit lane was a keenly anticipated moment. Raikkonen's switch from McLaren to Ferrari for this season was a high-profile defection matched only by Fernando Alonso's decision to move from Renault to McLaren. Both are obvious world championship contenders.

Interpreting the subtleties of Raikkonen's relationship with the Ferrari team has absorbed much attention over the three months since he first got behind the wheel of one of the scarlet cars from Maranello. Schumacher's departure unquestionably left a huge emotional void in the Ferrari ranks and it will be a measure of Raikkonen's status how he manages the transition once he settles into the rhythm of the racing season.

Raikkonen has always been one to march very much to his own beat but it would be an error to judge him a fool. Over his last two seasons at McLaren his off-track partying may have marked him out as an unlikely successor to the ascetic Schumacher but there is little evidence to suggest that living the high life ever materially affected his efforts on the circuit.

Even so he needs to be on his guard. "By nature Italians look for excuses, because they don't want to blame themselves," said Niki Lauda, who won two championships driving for the Ferrari team in 1975 and '77. "That could be difficult for Kimi. One beer too many and he becomes the scapegoat for everything, even if he is innocent."

The Austrian added: "Raikkonen can drive fast but he can't do anything else, so Ferrari must give him a complete car. Ferrari is an emotional team, not like McLaren. They need the human component and Michael was ideal in that way to motivate them when things were bad. It's difficult to imagine Kimi doing the same."

Of course, on the face of it one might expect Raikkonen's most consistent opposition to come from his new team-mate, Felipe Massa, who pipped him for fastest time here yesterday.

Last year, as Schumacher's team-mate, Massa consolidated a reputation as an increasingly mature and composed performer, winning two races and apparently ruffling the seven-times world champion's feathers on several occasions. Given that he is Ferrari's sitting tenant of the moment, many close to the team believe the amiable Brazilian is capable of sustaining that pressure on his newly arrived Finnish colleague.

However, close scrutiny of pre-season testing results suggests that this could be a dangerous illusion. Massa may have been quicker than the Finn in most of the winter tests but in truth Raikkonen has never much cared for the drudge of testing. Come the races, the recruit can expect to be as much as half a second a lap faster than Massa, just as Schumacher was when it mattered in 2006.

"For sure, if we have a good car like it looks like, then it will always be a race between team-mates," said Raikkonen. "That is always normal; it has always been like that in the past. It is good in a way. We have a good atmosphere in the team, a good relationship, and on the circuit we always want to beat each other."

The issue of how Raikkonen integrates with Ferrari also intrigues Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren chief executive who worked closely with the Finn during his time with the team. "All top drivers want to believe that a team is focused on them, because that's what Michael had and look at the results," he said. "But Michael always took a very proactive approach to Ferrari, working hard to contribute to its focus and team spirit. I don't think Kimi has yet tried to do that and maybe that's what he needs to do now."