Kimi Raikkonen had a lot of pressure on his shoulders at the start of the season.

Not only had he been signed by McLaren after just one season in Formula One, but he was replacing his fellow Finn and double world champion Mika Hakkinen.

That might have been too much for some drivers – not least someone, like Raikkonen, who had been racing in Formula Renault only 18 months earlier.

But Raikkonen soon proved that not only did he have the promise of genuine pace, but that he was as ice-cool as his predecessor as well.

He has had a very impressive first season with McLaren.

Among the highlights were coming close to winning a race in France, battling with Michael Schumacher for pole position at Spa, the toughest circuit of all, and a superb battle with Juan Pablo Montoya during the German GP.

Raikkonen outdid team-mate David Coulthard in qualifying.

And even if the two were much more closely matched in races than Coulthard and Hakkinen had been, the impression is still that this is a man who can only get better, and who will play a major role in F1 over the next few years.