Also denying media gossip that he and his wife Jenni are now ready to have children, the Ferrari driver - nicknamed 'the iceman' - explained that he will pursue victory with the same rigour in 2008.

"I am still exactly the same," Räikkönen, 28, told the German newspaper Bild-Zeitung.

"If I race, then I want to be at the front. It is never fun to be fifth and sixth, and even a third place no longer feels good to me.

"I only want to win," he added.

Räikkönen said that, even as the reigning world champion in 2008, his ultimate target this year is another crown.

"Of course I want more," he said. "Whoever thinks I am tired and satisfied is wrong. If we do not collect two championship trophies at the end of the season, we will be disappointed."

Räikkönen also confirmed his reportedly less than burning affection for Michael Schumacher; Ferrari's winner of five consecutive drivers' titles, and still an occasional test driver.

"Michael is history, and I do not think about the past so often," Kimi admitted.