Norbert Haug, boss of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, has defended McLaren's No. 2 driver (Yes, he is No. 2. Everyone knows it, McLaren just will not admit it!) Heikki Kovalainen, and hinted that the driver lineup may not change next year, contrary to popular belief.
So far Heikki has had a pretty average season. Memorable moments include him hitting the pit lane limiter in Australia after passing Alonso, his huge shunt at Barcelona, and the pole position at Silverstone.
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He currently has 24 points, which is exactly half the amount of his equally experienced teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who is leading the championship with the Ferrari drivers. Both drivers have had their share of bad luck, however.
Haug said to Auto motor und sport, "In the end only speed plays a role and he has that. "Not always consistently but he has had some highlights Heikki is a star in the making."
If you cast your minds back to 2007, you'll remember that back then Heikki had a very troublesome start to the season. But then he sorted it out and was back on track. McLaren must be looking for more results from the young Finn.
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4 months ago
He will be there next year, I can't see any reason why he wouldn't be. He's doing a great job at the moment and has rebounded well after his big shunt in spain.
Let's not forget that Kimi wasn't exactly flawless when he started out at Sauber. They had a good car, capable of getting points, but Kimi wasn't scoring every gp. I think far too much is expected sometimes, the second year normally proves more difficult, but not so for Heikki.
Kimi, Massa, Alonso, Heidfeld. All names that wern't exactly perfect during their first couple of seasons, and now they all occupy positions in the top 6. says a lot really.
4 months ago
He has had quite a lot of pressure this year i must admit. I have reqad recently abou Rosberg going to Maclaren, but hopefully Kovvy will keep his place!
4 months ago
He isnt number 2 driver, there is no evidence at all to suggest that he is number 2 driver, Heikki is safe at McLaren, right now this line up is awesome and for me is future proofed, obviously Lewis is strong, no question, Heikki has so much potential its incredible ... I truly believe there will come a point when BAM he comes good and he WILL be a force to be reckoned with ... You know what, I even feel that Silverstone could have been the turning point ... There is no doubt he is quick !
4 months ago
Dagni, Heikki was on the pole in Britain! If that didn't say he wanted to win, I don't know what does...
And if anything, I think Rosberg will go to Toyota. Williams is just doing atrociously this season in my opinion. I don't know if that's the car but the car was much better during Rosberg's first two seasons in my opinion.
I don't see why Kovalainen WOULDN'T have wanted to take the offer..."hmm...I might have to play second-fiddle, but I am in one of the teams that is tied for first place in terms of performance...and I'm currently in a car that isn't giving me s*** for performance (Renault)" You don't think he said, "Where do I sign?" the instant the contract was put down on the table?
And I have heard things that make me think McLaren is fairer than people give the group credit for, such as that apparently whoever scores the higher qualifying position can take priority for fuel strategies. So in fact in Britain Hamilton didn't even have the luxury of having the pit strategy dictated by his own tastes.
Anyway, I'm glad to hear that Heikki is still going to be at McLaren. I think he has yet to prove his real worth and is using this year to develop his skills and also help McLaren get some important Constructor's points. So we'll see how well he does in the future.
4 months ago
hyvaa iltaa Dagni :-) .
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