Heikki Kovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen
Kovalainen in 2019
Born
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen

(1981-10-19) 19 October 1981 (age 43)
Spouse
Catherine Hyde
(m. 2014)
Children1
Racing licence FIA Platinum
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityFinland Finnish
Active years20072013
TeamsRenault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham, Lotus
Entries112 (111 starts)
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums4
Career points105
Pole positions1
Fastest laps2
First entry2007 Australian Grand Prix
First win2008 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last win2008 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last entry2013 Brazilian Grand Prix
Super GT career
Years active20152021
TeamsSARD
Starts54
Championships1 (2016)
Wins5
Podiums10
Poles2
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2016 (GT500)
World Rally Championship record
Active years20222023
Rallies2
Championships0
Rally wins0
Podiums0
Stage wins0
Total points1
First rally2022 Rally Japan
Last rally2023 Rally Japan

Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhei̯kːi ˈkoʋɑlɑi̯nen]; born 19 October 1981) is a Finnish racing and rally driver, who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2013. Kovalainen won the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix with McLaren. In sportscar racing, Kovalainen won Super GT in 2016 with SARD.

Kovalainen was supported by the Renault Driver Development programme early in his racing career, during which he won the World Series by Nissan championship and finished runner-up in the GP2 series. Renault signed him on as a full-time Formula One test driver for 2006, and then promoted him to a race seat for 2007. He gained his first podium by finishing second in the Japanese Grand Prix that year.

He moved to McLaren for the 2008 season, where he partnered Lewis Hamilton. His second season in Formula One saw him achieve his first pole position at Silverstone and his first victory at the Hungaroring, becoming the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He remained with the team for the 2009 season.

In 2010, he moved to the newly created Team Lotus where he also remained for 2011 and 2012, with the team renamed Caterham F1 for 2012, Kovalainen's last full season in Formula One. Although he didn't score points in the uncompetitive cars, he earned respect for outperforming drivers who were racing in similarly uncompetitive cars.[1][2] Kovalainen competed in the last two races of the 2013 season for Lotus F1 as a short-notice stand-in for regular driver Kimi Räikkönen.

In 2015, Kovalainen moved to Japan to compete in Super GT in the GT500 class with Team SARD. He won the championship in his second season in the series in 2016.

  1. ^ Collantine, Keith (12 December 2011). "2011 F1 driver rankings part two: 15-6". Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  2. ^ Noble, Jonathan. "Sebastian Vettel voted best F1 driver of 2011 by team bosses". Autosport.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020.