BARCELONA, Spain, April 26, 2008 (AFP) - Kimi Raikkonen grabbed pole position for Ferrari on Saturday and then predicted that the start of Sunday´s Spanish Grand Prix will be vital to the outcome of the race.

The defending drivers´ world champion secured his first pole of the season, and the 15th of his career, after beating local hero Fernando Alonso by less than a tenth of a second with a last-gasp effort.

In a closely-fought session, the top six drivers were separated by less than half a second - as Raikkonen acknowledged - but for the last two years the man on pole has won the race.

He said: "Qualifying is one part, but tomorrow is where we get the points. Last year, we couldn´t finish the race. We should have good speed in the race as long as we get a good start.

"We are confident in ourselves. We need a good clean first few corners and then try to maximize our position. This is the best place to do our job."

The Finn admitted he was feeling more comfortable with his Ferrari car after going in another direction with the set-up during the weekend.

"We just changed the set-up quite a bit so it´s easier to work," he added.

"We wanted to try something in the test and we had a rainy day so didn´t get a good idea, a few laps in the dry gave me a good feeling and we decided to keep it and so far so good.

"I´ve been more happy with the car than in previous races. We changed the starting point a bit and it seems to be working quite well. Of course, it is a bit more tricky here, but it is a nice circuit and they changed the outside in a few places so if you run wide it makes life a bit more difficult."

His Ferrari team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa wound up third-fastest behind surprise second-placed Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault.

Massa said: "I just couldn´t put the lap together on the last try. On the first try, I got the lap together but it was a bit early, to be honest, but I couldn´t have the same level as before.

"If you lose a small tenth you lose one or two positions. I put the lap together in the wrong moment but it is okay, we have a good car and it should be an interesting race tomorrow."