Raikkonen bids for back-to-back success

Raikkonen, who leads the world championship after finishing on the podium in both of the opening races, is hoping to continue to reap the rewards of McLaren's increase in pace over last season.

"It was an amazing feeling to win my first grand prix in Malaysia," said Raikkonen. "It is very difficult to put into words, but I am very happy and can say that it is a feeling I am looking forward to repeating with Team McLaren Mercedes. Securing your maiden win in F1 is something you think about from the moment you start driving. The car felt good and was handling well all weekend, so I am now looking forward to getting back to racing in Brazil."

McLaren's managing director Martin Whitmarsh is also happy with progress so far, as the team leads the constructors' championship with 26 points from the two races.

"There are still areas where significant improvement can be made with the MP4-17D, for example reliability," he said. "We are currently working hard to increase that, and qualifying performance, however overall the trend is in the right direction."