Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of following up his triumphant Ferrari debut with another win in Malaysia this weekend could be dented before qualifying has even started.

The Finn fears his car's engine was damaged in the Australian season-opener and could need replacing, a change that would incur a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for the second round of the Formula One season.

"There is some concern," Raikkonen told the Ferrari Web site (www.ferrariworld.com) as he prepared to return to the Sepang circuit where he took his first grand prix victory with McLaren in 2003.

"We had a slight leakage of water during the last part of the race (in Melbourne) and the team told me to slow down.

"The engine has since been checked in the works (factory) and they also did some simulations," he added.

"Obviously we hope that the engine will make it through the whole weekend and that we don't have to change it before the qualifying.

"In case we have to change it, obviously it would be a bit different for us... then the aim would be to reach a good result, the best one possible."

Raikkonen will also have to contend with a fired-up Felipe Massa, the Brazilian determined not to be left behind by his new team mate after a gearbox problem ruined his Australian Grand Prix, as well as McLaren rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

It remains to be seen also just how much the governing body's decision to crack down since Melbourne on the use of so-called 'flexi floors' in cars will affect the leading teams.

SWELTERING CONDITIONS

Sepang is one of the toughest challenges of the season, with sweltering conditions that take a toll on drivers -- who can lose up to four litres of fluid during the race -- and cars.

The weather is also notoriously fickle, with the risk of a sudden torrential downpour during the race.

While Ferrari have the best record at the circuit since the first Malaysian Grand Prix in 1999, champions Renault have dominated the last two races there.

That is likely to change this year.

Melbourne showed that Renault were lagging Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber -- and Finnish new boy Heikki Kovalainen made it look worse with a difficult debut -- but the team were encouraged by last week's tests at Sepang.

"We are hoping to show that we have taken a step forward relative to Melbourne," technical director Bob Bell said in a team preview.

"At this stage, it is unrealistic to talk about catching Ferrari or McLaren -- but we need to show that progress has been made, and that we are starting to close down the gap," he added.

"Given our current situation, we will be pushing even harder to introduce new parts as quickly as possible.

"In past seasons, we had to balance our aggression with a degree of caution to avoid compromising our lead in the championship. This year, we have got nothing to lose and that will allow us to be even more aggressive."

Ferrari's main rivals will be McLaren, with Alonso winning in Malaysia in 2005 and taking the first pole position of his career there in 2003. He was runner-up to Raikkonen in Australia.

Briton Hamilton, who finished third in Melbourne to become the first rookie since Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 to stand on the podium in his debut race, will be looking to build on that stunning start.

He still has plenty to learn, however.

"It was a dream start for me in Australia, but I am realistic that motorsport is unpredictable and things don't always go so well," the 22-year-old said.