Unhappy Raikkonen targets points finish

The Finn, winner of the Melbourne race from pole last year, will start from 16th position after losing all power in his Ferrari's engine due to a fuel pressure problem.

Raikkonen was barred from taking any further part in qualifying for having received assistance to get the pits.

The world champion says he is still targeting a points finish, which he reckons could be important in the end.

"Clearly I am disappointed," he said. "A few corners from the end of my in-lap, I had a problem with the electronic fuel pump which forced me to stop near the pitlane and so it was impossible for me to get back to the garage to try and fix the problem.

"These things happen, but it's definitely not the best way to start the season. Now we must try to do our best to pick up some points tomorrow, because it is important to score something in every race."

Ferrari, pre-season favourites, had a disappointing day, with Raikkonen's teammate Felipe Massa qualifying down in fourth place after being unable to complete his final flying lap.

"I failed to get the most out of my final set of tyres for the day, because I had traffic on my out-lap and this meant I was unable to get the tyres up to temperature," he said. "I am happy with the handling of the car, which is well balanced and we know we can run at a good race pace.

"It will be a very tough race, especially as we can expect high temperatures. Anything can happen and I think I can fight for the very top places."