New Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen is already well on the way to replacing seven-times world champ Michael Schumacher in Italian affections following the Finn's perfect start to the 2007 season.
One of Raikkonen's biggest fans could be Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who said on Monday that he was "walking on air" following the newcomer's victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Italian newspapers greeted Raikkonen's win with joyful headlines and appeared certain that the blue-eyed 27-year-old star would bring glory to Ferrari just as his predecessor did.
Just Like Schumi! was the headline in Turin daily La Stampa which put a large photo of Raikkonen in his red Ferrari in the centre of its front page.
"And so Schumacher's inheritance is in excellent hands," said Corriere della Sera at the start of its coverage of the Australian race weekend.
There seemed little doubt in any commentator's mind that Schumacher's heir at Ferrari was the Finn, and not the 25-year-old Felipe Massa who is in his second year at Ferrari.
The Brazilian finished sixth on Sunday, a respectable result considering he started the race at the back of the grid after hitches during practice forced him to change his engine.
But naturally the limelight was all for Raikkonen and papers made much of the phone call that the grand prix winner received from Schumacher just before he went up to receive his winner's cup.
This moment was seen by some commentators as a symbolic passing of the crown that the German had worn for a decade at Ferrari.
'NO FRILLS'.
Much of the press commented on the different behaviour of the old and new Ferrari stars when on the winner's rostrum. While Schumacher always jumped into the air and punched the sky, Raikkonen stood there impassively on Sunday and just smiled for a few seconds.
Ferrari Enters Ice Age, remarked Gazzetta dello Sport in its headline, going on to pronounce Raikkonen "like Schumi but with fewer frills".
The Finn always looked in command during the grand prix weekend, notching up the pole position and fastest lap honours as well as the race victory.
Ferrari went to Melbourne looking radically different to the team that closed last season. As well as a revamped car and a new driver, it also had many new technical staff in the squad.
"It was a big test and a great victory," Montezemolo said.
In an apparent reference to the clutch problems that upset the Massa's weekend, Montezemolo said the Formula 1 teams was "already back at work" to improve the Ferrari cars' reliability.
