Williams hopes Ferrari 'sort out' Raikkonen

Williams, speaking at the Japanese Grand Prix, said he hopes the Finnish driver's move to the Italian team would trigger a change of attitude.

"I hardly know Kimi, but when he came into Formula One I thought 'Oh no, how did we miss him?'" he told reporters at Suzuka. "Because when he arrived he was just way up there with true star status.

"But he hasn't taken it seriously enough, which I find very sad. I don't follow what he does when he's away, but Michael's approach is different to Kimi's and maybe that's the more professional.

"It's a crying shame. Maybe (Ferrari boss) Jean Todt can sort him out, in which case it's a pity Michael is not in the other car because that would have been true Titans.

"I really hope he changes and does a brilliant job."

Seven times champion Schumacher is considered the model professional - a family man whose private life attracts none of the lurid newspaper coverage that has dogged Raikkonen's career since he was fast-tracked into Formula One with Sauber in 2001.

The Finn won at Suzuka last season, taking the lead from Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap after starting 17th in a race that ranked with some of the sport's greatest.

Yet the Finn has cut a subdued figure this time.

"He's been pretty sick all week so he's on a pretty heavy course of antibiotics," team boss Ron Dennis told reporters when asked about the driver sounding more taciturn than usual after Saturday's qualifying.

"So he's not great, he doesn't complain and he has been sick since Tuesday.

"It would be only natural for him to be thinking about the future and not currently focused on the present, he's only human. We all do that," added Dennis.

"Communicating or putting his passion across is not something he's particularly fond of. But I wouldn't think it's anything other than his illness that makes him a bit down."

McLaren are facing their first season in a decade without a win, Raikkonen's victory at Suzuka last year being their last appearance on the top step of the podium.

Ferrari confirmed an open secret at the Italian Grand Prix last month when they announced he would replace Schumacher.

Technical director Ross Brawn, speaking to reporters at Suzuka, saw the Finn fitting in fine.

"It's his (Schumacher's) ability and his commitment that's been a great motivating factor on the team, and we need to work with Kimi and find out what his strengths are and adapt the team suitably," Brawn said.

"But the first priority is you've got to be fast. If you're fast, that helps an enormous amount.

"If a driver's not putting in the commitment, people get disappointed and can get disillusioned. But I don't expect any problem in that respect from Kimi."