New McLaren a Match for Ferrari, Says Dennis

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis hailed the performance of Australian Grand Prix winner David Coulthard and teammate Kimi Raikkonen but warned the pair hard work still lies ahead to close the gap on Ferrari.

Coulthard unexpectedly emerged victorious after an action-packed season-opener, but despite Ferrari's Michael Schumacher finishing off the podium for the first time since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix, Dennis insisted McLaren need a new car to fight the World Champions.

"It was a great drive by both drivers, an excellent win for David and a lot of encouragement for Kimi who drove very well against Michael," Dennis said after the race. "They've done a great job. David is disappointed with his qualifying performance as is Kimi.

"Formula One is hard enough without making it harder for yourself but it was a great outcome. I'm very pleased with the team."

Dennis admitted the new McLaren car - to be introduced in the European season - will help close the gap further on Ferrari after the interim model made a leap forward.

"If it is painful to watch for the viewers it is certainly painful to watch on the pit wall," Dennis said of previous Ferrari dominance. "We are certainly fed up of it. But we are really not going to get where we want to be until we get our new car in a few races time.

"I think it will be a good step and a match for the new Ferrari so we'll be pushing hard on that. In the meantime if we can get results like this we will be delighted."