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THE 'off-road' experience is not the sole preseve of the rookie at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel (above), Japanese rookie Kazuki Nakajima and Red Bull's 14-year veteran David Coulthard show the thrills and spills of sliding off the track. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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MELBOURNE - WORLD champion Kimi Raikkonen was less than happy with the set-up of his Ferrari, after a poor afternoon practice yesterday rubbed the sheen off his morning best ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Everything looked good as the Finn posted the day's fastest time in opening practice with 1min 26.461sec. But he struggled to a 1:28.208 in the afternoon session.
That gave room for his biggest rival, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, to top the boards with a session-best of 1:26.559 in the afternoon.
It all points to an epic battle between Ferrari and McLaren in tomorrow's season-opening race.
Raikkonen hinted at a hard night's work ahead for his Ferrari mechanics, seeking an improved car set-up for today's qualifying to determine race grid positions.
'I am not very happy,' he said. 'This morning, we found some good settings for the car. But in the afternoon, we struggled and our lap times reflect that.
'We have seen that if we manage to find the right set-up, then we have the potential to be competitive.'
The day before, he was in an equally feisty mood, as reporters honed in on his penchant for alcohol.
'You are renowned for liking a drink. How do you manage that within the demands of being an F1 racing driver?' he was asked.
'Like any of my people, I like to go out. I don't see any problems with it,' Raikkonen replied.
His interrogator would not let up, asking: 'So how do you manage it? Do you abstain during the race season and then hit it hard at the end?'
True to form, Raikkonen shot back: 'I do what I want. I'm not responsible for telling people what I do off the racing track. I don't need to explain it. So far, it seems to be working pretty well, so there is no reason to change it.'
Hamilton, who lost last season's championship by a point after being overhauled in the final race in Brazil, was more pleased with the start to the season by his McLaren.
'There was some good progress with the car and we made the best use of the ever-improving track conditions,' he said.
'However, our main opposition looks strong. But it's still too early to tell exactly where we are in comparison. All in all, a good start to the season.'
Ferrari's Brazilian, Felipe Massa, and McLaren's new Finnish signing, Heikki Kovalainen, were third- and fourth-fastest respectively in both sessions.
Outside of the top two teams, Australian Mark Webber, preparing for his seventh drive at his home GP, was prominent in both practice sessions in his Red Bull.
He held top spot for most of the afternoon practice before Hamilton trumped him on his 31st lap, and he nudged out Renault's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for fifth fastest in the morning.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Australian Grand Prix, qualifying
Live, Ch24, 10.57am
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