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Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen believes the Italian team will quickly reemerge as championship contenders, despite their poor showing at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Raikkonen and his team mate Felipe Massa retired from the Melbourne race after both their F2008s suffered engine troubles.

“I know that back in Maranello the team is working hard to solve our problems,” he told Ferrari’s official website. “I'm not worried at all about the performance and the competitiveness of the car. The first race was like it was, but we know that we have a really good car. I know that the team will never lose its focus. They've shown that already in the past - Ferrari will be back!”

The world champion did eventually score one world championship point at Albert Park, thanks to the disqualification of Honda’s Rubens Barrichello, but was left largely frustrated by Ferrari’s performance over the course event. However, confident the team will be able to solve the issues, Raikkonen is now focusing on the next race in Malaysia.

“There's really not much to say about the first race weekend of the season,” the Finn added. “The only positive thing is that it's all behind us. Obviously we are really disappointed. We have to give our best and need to try to get the most points in every single race.”

Ferrari are currently sixth the constructors’ standing, 13 points adrift of McLaren, who take up the top spot, following Lewis Hamilton’s dominant victory and Heikki Kovalainen’s fifth-placed finish in Australia.