By Karl King
March 27 2006

It hasn't been the start to the year Kimi Raikkonen had been hoping for. In Bahrain qualifying his suspension failed, whilst on the opening lap in Malaysia Red Bull's Christian Klien ploughed into the back of him. Raikkonen will certainly be parying for a bit of luck in Australia. "After the first two races, I am really hoping to have a trouble free weekend in Australia, as the car feels good and I think that we can get some good results with it," Raikkonen said. "I am aiming to get a solid points finish at this race to take back to Europe."

"Albert Park is a high downforce track and it has pretty low grip, this is because the surface is always dusty as it is old roads that are not used anymore. But this tends to clean up quickly during Friday running and then the track surface is fairly smooth. There are some hard braking zones and sharp bends, which can be tough on the brakes and tyres, such as into turn three, and demand good traction to be fast out of the corners."

"The Australian race is one of the favourites I think with most people in the sport, and there is always such an enthusiastic atmosphere in Melbourne for the event."