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LONDON - Kimi Raikkonen expects a tough battle at Monza on Sunday in his first race in Italy since joining Ferrari as Michael Schumacher's replacement.
After the Finn's Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa led a Ferrari one-two in Turkey last month, the home fans will be hoping for a repeat performance at Formula One's fastest and oldest circuit.
Only this time, Raikkonen intends to be in the leading Ferrari.
With just 16 points separating McLaren's championship leading rookie Lewis Hamilton from fourth placed Raikkonen, and only five races remaining, the season is now entering its decisive phase.
Briton Hamilton is five points clear of double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso with Massa 10 adrift of the Spaniard.
All four title contenders have won three races each in one of the closest championships in years and the next two weekends, with Belgium following immediately after Italy, could make or break their hopes.
"All the upcoming races are crucial," Raikkonen told the Ferrari website (www.ferrariworld.com). "We can't commit any more mistakes.
"The team gives 110 per cent and we have to beat our competitors and need to gain more points than them every time."
Ferrari took an emotional win at Monza last September, with seven times world champion Schumacher chalking up his 90th victory before announcing his retirement and welcoming Raikkonen as his successor.
The Italian team have won their home race four times in five years and Raikkonen has the best record at Monza of the leading quartet, finishing second last year with McLaren and fourth on two other occasions.
Testing times
McLaren, 11 points clear of Ferrari pending an appeal into their loss of constructors' points at last month's Hungarian Grand Prix and a second hearing into their involvement in a spying controversy, were quick in testing at Monza last week.
"Looking at the times, I think you can say that we have a fierce fight ahead of us," Raikkonen declared.
"But you never know how much fuel the others use during the tests, so we'll only see during the qualifying what the situation is really like."
"It will be really special to feel the heat of the Tifosi (fans)," the Finn added. "I can't wait to see all the flags with the Prancing Horse on the grandstands.
Alonso has bitter memories of the Milanese circuit, telling reporters last year that he no longer considered Formula One a sport after he was controversially demoted five places on the starting grid for impeding Massa's Ferrari.
He failed to finish that race, retiring with an engine problem while in third place, but still went on to win his second successive title with Renault.
"Last year did not give me any good memories but it is a track that I would really like to win at, so hopefully we can make that happen in 2007," the Spaniard said in a team preview.
"The Monza track is not like any other we race on during the season, it is all about high speeds. The cars always feel so different, very light and not always under control to be honest."
Hamilton, 22, will be fired up to put behind him the frustration of last month's Turkish Grand Prix, where he finished fifth after suffering a puncture 15 laps from the end while in a strong third place.
- REUTERS
