Wait and see - Raikkonen

Sepang in the middle of the afternoon is not a good place or time to be standing outside because of the heat and 50% humidity. So, Kimi Raikkonen, winner of the first round of the championship in Melbourne and a huge crowd of media all crammed into the small but importantly air-conditioned Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro hospitality area to talk about the coming race.

"It is difficult to say what we can expect this weekend, but I hope we have another good race," began Raikkonen. "We will have a clearer picture tomorrow. But we can expect to have a good race. It's never going to be easy but testing results here seem to be good. I hope we will be as strong as in Australia. The rain could affect the race but even in these conditions, the top teams are usually still at the front."

It is a fact that the team is considering changing the engine in Kimi's car as it appears to have a slight coolant leak after the race in Melbourne. "We will make the decision tomorrow or Saturday but I am not worried about it simply because worrying about it will achieve nothing," insisted Kimi. "Whether or not we change it is not dependent on the weather or the high temperatures."

The heat is an obvious topic here, but not a concern for Raikkonen. "In terms of the heat it is one of the toughest races, but actually, once you are in the car and driving, it is not so bad. The problem starts when you stop! I've raced here six times with no problems and I don't expect it to be any different this time."

Revisions to technical regulations concerning methods of taking some measurement at the floor of the cars have been changed by the FIA, but the view of the Ferrari driver is that it changes nothing at all. "Our car has been legal all the time. Now the FIA has decided to change the rules and I don't think that will affect us at all. The subject of the F2007 having a performance advantage because of Ferrari's long relationship with Bridgestone was raised again and again, Kimi gave his same answer: "the other teams have had enough time to understand the tyres and I think we just have a good overall package." It was pointed out to the Finn that Sepang was the venue for his first ever F1 win back in 2003, but like all drivers, the past seems to mean very little to him. "It was a good memory, but it won't change anything for this year." However, Kimi seemed to delight in teasing the media over a new tattoo that has appeared on his right forearm. What does it mean? Is it permanent? "Wait and see," was all he would say.