Heikki Kovalainen to race in the Race of Champions
Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen has been confirmed to race in the Race of Champions once again. Heikki is a Finnish driver and has been in the Formula 1 since 2007 when he joined the sport with team Renault. The Finn scored 30 points to
secure the 7th place and impressed McLaren with his outstanding performance and joined the team for the years 2008 and 2009. However, Heikki was unable to score good results during his time in McLaren keeping in mind Lewis Hamilton
won the championship in the same car in 2008.
After two disappointing years in McLaren, Heikki was eventually replaced by Jenson Button in 2010 after his contract expired. Heikki could not complain about this because McLaren is a team that produces Formula 1 champions and Heikki Kovalainen
was clearly does not have the qualities a Formula 1 champion is supposed to have. Heikki was offered a spot in the legendary team Lotus that returned to the sport after its departure back in 1994.
Nevertheless, Heikki is expected to compete in the event that boosted Heikki Kovalainen’s image in the Formula 1 world. Kovalainen was the winner of the Champion of Champions title in the year 2004 after he defeated a number of champions
including Michel Schumacher and Rally legend Sebastian Loeb. Heikki is going to compete in an event that will contain one of the best drivers in the world and is expected to take place in Dusseldorf, Germany in late November. The Finn driver is excited as
he believes that seeing his name with one of the best in the sport is an honour for him.
“The Race of Champions has a special place in my heart because beating Michael and Sebastien in 2004 really got me noticed in the world of motor sport. It was around that time that my road to Formula One really took off. Now we have had
a great first year with Lotus. I always revel in the toughest competition - that's why I want to be part of ROC,” said Kovalainen.
Kovalainen is also excited about the final two races of the 2010 Formula 1 season that are set to take place in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The Lotus driver is looking forward to the Brazilian Grand Prix that is expected to take place this weekend
at the legendary Interlagos circuit.
“The Sao Paulo circuit is a good challenge. There are quite a few overtaking points, and a few different lines into some of the corners so you'll see people attacking each other throughout the whole lap, and particularly at turn one,”
said Heikki.
The Finn driver has been quite disappointing this season but one has to admit that he has been the best driver out of the final 6 tail end drivers on the grid. With 3 new teams on the grid this season, the 2010 season has been quite exciting
in terms of technological advancements. It is fascinating to see how different teams apply different strategies at different venues.
Heikki Kovalainen has been among the best and the worst teams during his time in the sport but has not been able to prove that he is one of the best drivers on track in any way. With the likes of drivers like Kimi Raikkonen and Mika Hakkinen,
Heikki Kovalainen is the worst Finn driver that has driven in a McLaren.
“At the start of the race that corner is pretty critical and there's always a few guys taking different lines through there. Some go high, some low, but the main thing to think about is that when there are five cars going through there
together you've just got to do whatever you can to make sure you fit through the gaps and come out unscathed,” said Kovalainen.
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