McLaren Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (right) of Great Britain and his teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, of Finland, throw their boomerangs at a season kick-off event at St Kilda beach in Melbourne, yesterday. The first race of the 2008 season takes place on Sunday. - AP

MELBOURNE (AP):

LEWIS HAMILTON and Fernando Alonso stood either side of Kimi Raikkonen, arms around the 2007 champion's shoulders, all smiles for the cameras.

The camaraderie at yesterday's press conference might have been stage managed, but there's no doubt two-time champion Alonso and leading 2007 rookie Hamilton are more comfortable as rivals in the 2008 Formula One season than they were as teammates at McLaren last season.

Ferrari's Raikkonen took the 2007 title away from the McLaren pair at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix last October - winning the championship by one point from both Hamilton and Alonso in the closest title race in 21 years.

In his one season with McLaren, Alonso made little attempt to hide his anger at perceived team bias to Hamilton, who was a rookie but one long groomed by the team.

Now that Alonso has returned to Renault, where he won the 2005 and 2006 driver titles, both he and Hamilton will be undisputed number one drivers in their respective teams for the 2008 season, which begins at Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Serious challenger

Hamilton said the transition to new teammate Heikki Kovalainen - who swapped teams with Alonso - had been seamless and the British youngster expects McLaren to be a serious challenger on Sunday.

"Heikki's been welcomed into the team as Fernando was," he said. "Obviously it's different; when you have a two-time world champion ... when you come into your first season and someone you've been watching for so many years, you come and you work against them - work with them - it's a privilege. From that point of view, it's a shame (Alonso) is not there but it's a new challenge for me and Heikki."

Hamilton said having Kovalainen in the team increased his motivation.

It had been widely reported that Alonso felt he did not get the treatment he deserved at McLaren as a two-time champion. Yet, when asked yesterday to respond to Renault boss Flavio Briatore's claim that Hamilton didn't give Alonso the respect he deserved, the Spaniard ignored the question - three times.

"It's just speculation or rumours about some destructive things before starting the first race so ... nothing," Alonso said. "We are not together, but we are still racing each other in different teams ... every year is a new challenge."