Raikkonen Fears Reliability Issues in Melbourne

The McLaren MP4/19 is unlikely to finish the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks time because of mechanical failures, Finn Kimi Raikkonen believes.

"I don't have big expectations for the start of the season, but only in Melbourne we'll know where we are," Raikkonen told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Melbourne is a track that I like, but the result will depend on the car.

"If it will get to the finish then I think I can get a good result, but if it doesn't finish... then I'll get zero points and a big disappointment.

"At the moment it seems unlikely that we'll be able to finish the race."

McLaren-Mercedes have reportedly been hampered by a set of problems during pre-season testing, suffering initially from lack of speed and engine horse-power and from several mechanical failures that have slowed down the team's development programme.

Last week the team was testing in Valencia, Spain, where Raikkonen managed to break the lap record in the MP4/19 but was also unable to complete a full Grand Prix simulation because his car broke down.

"My problem was that a wire broke causing a fire during the pit stop," Raikkonen explained. "But the mechanics couldn't work on the car because they were busy with David's simulation."

The Finn also downplayed the importance of his new Valencia record, stating that "the speed has improved, but I don't know what the performance is like compared to the other teams. One day the Williams is much faster than us, the next day it's the other way around.

"Ferrari have always tested in Italy with their new car, but I'm sure about their strength. Renault also has shown to be fast and reliable.

"But our car often has various problem; we need to solve those before concentrating on its speed."