Formula 1 World champion Kimi Raikkonen will return to France this weekend hungrier than ever for victory after two consecutive races without points.

Magny-Cours marked the turning point of Raikkonen's 2007 season and he needs another French GP win on Sunday after slipping to fourth, seven points behind new championship leader Robert Kubica.

He said: "I don't remember when I had such a great lust for winning. The last two races were a disappointment, caused by different problems."

Raikkonen was shunted out of the Canadian GP by championship rival Lewis Hamilton in a pit-lane collision and himself smashed into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India in the closing stages of the Monaco GP while in fifth'I think things will look really different at Magny-Cours compared to the last GPs' - Raikkonen.

Raikkonen was 26 points behind McLaren's Hamilton when they arriving at Magny-Cours in 2007 and hadn't been on the podium for four races. His French GP win was followed immediately by another in Britain and at the end of the year Raikkonen took the title by a single point.

He said: "I think things will look really different at Magny-Cours compared to the last GPs.

"It was here in France in 2007 that my season practically started all over again – and that's what I need now after the two races with no points.

"I like this track and I think it's perfect for our car. I think we'll be competitive and that we can go for the maximum result."

Raikkonen's main rival is likely to be his team mate Felipe Massa, who started on pole position at Magny-Cours in 2007 and is now three points ahead of him – and level with Hamilton - in the standings'Nobody gets to the top of the F1 Drivers' World championship by accident' - Thiessen.

Kubica, the first Pole and the first BMW Sauber driver to win a GP, won't give up his lead easily and will also be a podium contender.

BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen said: "Nobody is at the top of the F1 Drivers' World championship after seven races by accident – we certainly won't be taking our foot off the gas now."

Hamilton led the championship until his embarrassing gaffe in Montreal but will be less of a threat at Magny-Cours after stewards imposed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for ploughing into Raikkonen's stationary car while the Finn waited for the pit lane exit light to change.

Despite that, he believes he can still win on Sunday.

He said: "Mentally it's just something that you learn to overcome quickly.

"It certainly won't affect my preparations; we've already looked at the best ways of optimising the strategy to help us move up the field.

"I guess I'll just have to pass some cars if I want to get into the points." – Reuters