War of words marks F1 season opener

LONDON, England (CNN) -- There is always a lot of roaring at the start of the Formula One season.

But, as usual, in the lead-up to Sunday's Australian Grand Prix most of the noise came from the combatants rather than their car engines.

It is the verbal equivalent of everyone trying to hit the first corner with an edge over their competitors.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore kicked things off early in the week, with a not-so-subtle dig at McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in England's Guardian newspaper.

He said Hamilton had let his "ego" get the better of him when dealing with his then team-mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso.

"Hamilton is very young and the talent is there but he lost this opportunity. As a rookie you should work for the team. Your team consists of 1,000 people working together to put two cars on the grid. You need to respect these people behind you -- and not only your ego," Briatore told the newspaper.

Alonso has, of course, returned to Renault under Briatore after a tumultuous year at McLaren that saw him accuse them of favoring Hamilton and the rookie returning the sentiment with a series of dismissive comments.

Red Bull's Mark Webber decided to keep Briatore's pot boiling by suggesting the pair's relationship could deteriorate even further this season.

Alonso, for his part, has studiously avoided getting dragged back into the affair by declining to answer questions about Briatore's comments. Instead, he has been talking down his team's chances at every opportunity.

"The team was far behind in 2007 and it would have been impossible to overcome that gap this winter. The other teams have also progressed and so it will certainly take a little time to reach a higher level.

"I think that Ferrari will be the team to beat during the first few races -- they were strong during 2007 and seem to have performed well over the winter."

Hamilton was diplomacy personified, saying it was a "shame" Alonso was no longer with McLaren.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the reigning world champion and a near media recluse by Formula One's standards, appeared to voice his confidence in the prancing horse's progress prior to the opening race.

BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld has been exuding a modest confidence, though remains focused on the racing rather than the personalities.

He said it was difficult to gauge how the teams measured up against each other.

"We made progress between the first roll-out in Valencia and the final test in Barcelona, but none of us will know where we stand until Melbourne.

"Autumn in Australia brings the possibility of rain, which would make driving without traction control and engine braking control a real challenge," Heidfeld said.

Removal of the two driver aids was weighing on a number of minds, including Heidfeld's team-mate Robert Kubica.

"Precise driving skills have become even more critical in 2008 because there's no more traction control to help if you stray on to the dirty side of the track. That's going to cost time because you then have to ease off the throttle to correct yourself," he explained.

Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber's technical director, said the Melbourne circuit was expected to complicate the situation further.

"Albert Park is a stop-go track with a lot of slow corners ... the drivers will be under pressure when braking into as well as accelerating out of corners.

"Heavy demands will be made above all on the rear tires on account of the circuit layout, and that will require drivers to apply a more sensitive touch to the accelerator."

For rookie driver Timo Glock it was all about the anticipation.

"The Australian Grand Prix will be my race debut for Toyota so I am very excited... I have an experienced team-mate in Jarno (Trulli) so that should help me a little bit."

Trulli, meanwhile, is hoping Toyota can finally convert their large investment off the track to success on it.

"Testing has gone well with the new car. We have made good progress... this year's car is a big improvement. It is very different to TF107 (last year's model) and we have a lot of potential to continue the improvement we have seen in testing."

On Sunday all the talk will finally turn to action. E-mail to a friend

All About Flavio Briatore • Mark Webber • Fernando Alonso • Lewis Hamilton • Kimi Raikkonen • Nick Heidfeld • Robert Kubica • Jarno Trulli