AE's F1 Dream Team

So Formula1.com has asked many drivers and team principals about their dream teams. I thought that I would also make my own. After I have done mine I would like you guys to do the same on the Facebook page.

The drivers are probably not a big surprise for you guys because I have said several times that these are my all time favorites:

Ayrton Senna (1984-1994) and Mika Häkkinen (1991-2001).

The team boss would be Jean Todt. He did an awesome job with Ferrari making Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen world champions. Of course Schumi had already won two championships with Benetton, but with Jean Todt as his leader he won five more.

Last but not least is the car my dream team would use. Everybody probably thought that I would choose the MP4/4 but I think that the best car of modern F1 is the F2004 of Ferrari. Schumi and Barrichello were unstoppable with that car. Do you really think Schumi would have broken all of those records without a car like that and the previous versions before it? Take a look at this picture!

What is your dream team?

F1 Treasures XII

Today I went to a few second hand stores and found a Mika Häkkinen book. I actually have this as an "audio book" on CD but this real book cost me only 1 euro so why not?

The book is about Mika's life after F1 and that he almost returned to the sport. I like the book.

Then I found a Formula One car for my son... OK! it was for me!

Then I got some more Lotus deodorant from Lidl and they were 2,50 each.

That's it for today. I will check out more flea markets and second hand stores this week for more F1 stuff. I'll get back to you guys tomorrow!

Finnish F1 drivers: Mika Häkkinen

The fifth finnish F1 driver was Mika Häkkinen in 1991.

In 1991 Mika Häkkinen made his first test in a Formula One car with the Benetton team driving 90 laps around the Silverstone Circuit. He later decied to sign with the Lotus team for the 1991 season. Making his début in the United States alongside team-mate Julian Bailey, Häkkinen qualified thirteenth on the grid and suffered an engine failure on the sixtieth lap and was classified thirteenth. The next race at Brazil saw him finish ninth, and clinched his first Formula One points scoring positions with fifth place in San Marino. Häkkinen suffered from a dip in race form as he was encountered consecutive retirements in the next two races—his car suffered from an oil leak in Monaco and spun out in Canada. Before Canada, Bailey lost his seat at Lotus due to a lack of funding, so Häkkinen was partnered by Johnny Herbert and Michael Bartels throughout the remainder of the season. Although Häkkinen secured a ninth place finish in Mexico, he did not qualify for the French Grand Prix. Over the remainder of the season, he did not finish four of the nine races he entered. Häkkinen finished his début season sixteenth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring two points.

In 1992 Mika Häkkinen remained at Lotus and was partnered by Johnny Herbert. At the opening round of the season in South Africa, Häkkinen finished in ninth position, which he followed up with his first points of the season in Mexico. He managed to take a further finish in Brazil, although he did not qualify for the San Marino Grand Prix and suffered consecutive retirements in the following two races.  At Monaco, Lotus introduced their new car, the Lotus 107. Häkkinen later managed to clinch further consecutive points in the following two races, before he was forced into retirement at the German Grand Prix due to an engine failure. A similar pattern followed in the next three races which was broken when he finished fifth in Portugal and suffered a retirement at the penultimate round of the year in Japan. Häkkinen concluded the season with a seventh place finish in Australia.

During the season, Häkkinen became embroiled in an contract dispute. Häkkinen, who was under contract to Lotus, opted to join Williams. However, Williams had not submitted their entry for the 1993 season, and Häkkinen was unable to join the team when he learnt that Lotus team prinicpal Peter Collins would veto the Williams team entry if they had signed Häkkinen. Häkkinen later approached Ligier although his contract contained a clause of which his manager Keke Rosberg disagreed with. He later approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis for a contract with the team, which was drafted at Courchevel Airport. The dispute eventually went to Formula One Contract Recognition Board, who ruled in favour of McLaren after two days of delibration.

For 1993, Häkkinen joined McLaren, originally as an race driver, although he became the team's official test driver when CART World Series driver Michael Andretti was hired by the team. Apart from regular testing duties, Häkkinen entered two Porsche Supercup races, held as an support race for the Monaco Grand Prix, where he clinched pole position and took victory in both races. He was promoted to a Formula One race seat after the Italian Grand Prix, when Andretti left Formula One. Häkkinen entered the Portuguese Grand Prix where he out-qualified regular driver Ayrton Senna. During the race, he retired due from a collision with a concrete wall. At the next race held in Japan, Häkkinen claimed the first podium of his career with a third place finish, and ended the season when his McLaren car suffered an brake pipe failure in Australia. Häkkinen concluded the season with 15th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 4 points. In December, McLaren confirmed that Häkkinen would remain with the team on a three-year contract from the 1994 season onwards.

Mika Häkkinen with his teammate Ayrton Senna.

During 1993, Häkkinen, along with Senna, tested the Lamborghini V12 engine in a modified version of the McLaren MP4/8 race car dubbed the "MP4/8B" at both Estoril and Silverstone. Both drivers were impressed with the engine, with Häkkinen reportedly lapping Silverstone some 1.4 seconds faster in the MP4/8B with its V12 engine than he had with the team's race car fitted with the Ford V8.

Häkkinen stayed at McLaren for 1994 and was partnered by experienced driver Martin Brundle. He endured a torrid start: At the first two races of the season, Häkkinen retired as his car developed engine problems in the Brazilian Grand Prix and gearbox issues in the Pacific Grand Prix which included a collision with Senna on the first lap. He later managed to clinch his first podium finish of the season at the San Marino Grand Prix, although he suffered a dip in form as he was forced into consecutive retirements in the next four races.

Häkkinen clinched a further podium finish at the British Grand Prix, despite an last-lap collision with Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello for which he received a one-race ban, suspended for three races. The ban was enforced after the German Grand Prix, where Häkkinen collided with Williams driver David Coulthard with the Finn's car sliding into another group of cars. He was replaced by Philippe Alliot for the next race in Hungary.

Häkkinen returned for the Belgian Grand Prix, initially coming third but was later promoted to second after the disqualification of Benetton driver Michael Schumacher. He managed to clinch consecutive 3rd-place podium finishes in the next three races, before rounding off the season by finishing the final two races in Japan and Australia, abeit outside of the points scoring positions. Häkkinen managed to clinch fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 26 points.

In 1995 Häkkinen remained at McLaren and was partnered by Nigel Mansell. During pre-season testing, Häkkinen and team-mate Mansell complained the car, the McLaren MP4/10, was not wide enough to fit in, resulting in their hands and elbows striking the sides of the cockpit. Mansell was forced to miss the opening two rounds, so Häkkinen was partnered with Mark Blundell.

Häkkinen started off the season by clinching fourth place at Brazil, and later retired in Argentina due to a collision which punctured his left rear tyre that followed a spin. He managed to take a further points finish with a 5th place at San Marino, before suffering from consecutive retirements in the next three races. For the French Grand Prix, McLaren introduced a revised version of their car, the McLaren MP4/10B. This did not revive Häkkinen's fortunes as he did not finish in the points scoring positions, and later suffered consecutive retirements in the next four races, but managed to clinch second place at the Italian Grand Prix. He was forced to miss the Pacific Grand Prix due to an operation for appendicitis and was replaced by Jan Magnussen. He returned for the Japanese Grand Prix, clinching second place.

At the season finale held in Australia, Häkkinen's car suffered a tyre failure during the event's first qualifying session, which resulted him crashing heavily in the wall. He was critically injured in the accident, sustaining a skull fracture, internal bleeding and swallowed his tongue, causing a blockage of his airway. His life was saved by the efforts of FIA Medical Delegate Sid Watkins who performed an emergency cricothyroidotomy at the side of the track. Häkkinen finished the season seventh in the Drivers' Championship, with 17 points.

The 1996 season was the first in which Häkkinen was the more experienced driver in his team and was partnered by David Coulthard. Häkkinen was confident going into the season and set himself a target of winning races. To ensure his fitness, Häkkinen spent time training in Bali and in February, McLaren conducted a secret test at the Paul Ricard Circuit. In the event that Häkkinen was not prepared, McLaren had Magnussen to replace him should the need arise. The season started well for Häkkinen: He clinched consecutive points scoring positions in the opening two rounds, before he suffered his first retirement of the season in Argentina as his car developed an throttle problem. He later managed to finish the next two races, abeit outside of the points scoring positions, before clinching consecutive finishes inside of the points in the following four races.

In the following race held in Britain where McLaren brought a revised version of the car, their McLaren MP4/11B, Häkkinen clinched his first podium finish of the season with third place.

However, he retired from the next race held in Germany due to a gearbox failure. This marked a turning point in Häkkinen's season as he managed to finish the next three races, including consecutive third place finishes in Belgium and Italy. In September, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren for 1997, having previously been linked to Williams and Benetton. He retired from the penultimate round in Portugal resulting a collision with team-mate Coulthard, damaging Häkkinen's front wing and eventually led to his retirement on the 52nd lap of the race. He rounded off the season with a third place finish in season finale held in Japan. Häkkinen finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 31 points.

In 1997 Häkkinen's season got off to a good start: In the season opening race in Australia, he clinched third position and later managed to score further consecutive finishes inside of the points scoring positions in the next three races. He suffered his first retirement of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix  when he was involved in a collision with Benetton driver Jean Alesi. Häkkinen later managed to take ninth position at the Spanish Grand Prix, but later suffered three consecutive retirements in the next three races—a collision with Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine in Canada and engine failures in France and Britain. At the latter race, he had seemed set for his first win, but his engine blew while he was holding off eventual winner Jacques Villeneuve.

Häkkinen managed to secure another podium finish with second place in Germany and later retired from an hydraulic problem in Hungary. He later secured third place in the Belgian Grand Prix but was later disqualified when it was discovered that his car used an illegal type of fuel during the event. He secured a ninth place finish in Italy and later suffered from consecutive retirements in the next two races—engine failures in the Austrian Grand Prix and the Luxembourg Grand Prix while leading both races.  Häkkinen ended the season with a fourth position in the penultimate round in Japan and clinched his first Formula One victory at the season closing European Grand Prix. Häkkinen ended the season sixth in the Drivers' Championship, with 27 points.

Häkkinen remained at McLaren for 1998, partnered by Coulthard. Häkkinen was confident going about the challenge for the World Championship into the season, citing the involvement of technical director Adrian Newey. The season started off with controversy in Australia when team-mate Coulthard let Häkkinen past to win the race. Häkkinen had earlier been called into the pit lane by an engineer by mistake. Coulthard later revealed an pre-race agreement by the team that whoever led into the first corner on the first lap would be allowed to win the race. Despite this, Häkkinen managed to take back-to-back victories by winning the next race in Brazil. He managed to maintain his good form at the Argentine Grand Prix where he finished second, although he retired from the San Marino Grand Prix when his car's gearbox failed. However, Häkkinen managed to clinch consecutive victories in the next two rounds, which was followed by a retirement from the race in Canada as his car suffered another gearbox failure.

Häkkinen followed this up by taking consecutive podiums in the next two rounds—third in France and second in Britain. He managed to clinch further consecutive victories in the next two rounds, and followed this up with a sixth place finish in Hungary. In August, it was announced that Häkkinen and Coulthard would be retained for 1999. Häkkinen retired from the following race held in Belgium when Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher collided with the Finn and was also hit by Sauber driver Johnny Herbert. He later managed to clinch fourth position in Italy despite suffering from brake problems resulting from a spin. Häkkinen finished the season by taking victory in the final two rounds at the Luxembourg Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix, which ensured he took enough points to clinch the 1998 World Championship, with 100 points, ahead of nearest rival Schumacher.

Häkkinen was awarded the Autosport International Racing Driver Award for 1998. He was also named the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year by journalists. The Finnish Post Office issued stamps to commeorate Häkkinen's World Championship in January 1999.

In 1999 McLaren suffered problems with their car, the McLaren MP4/14, during pre-season testing, resulting in a lack of preparation. Despite these setbacks, Häkkinen was confident going into the season, saying: "I've gained confidence and experience and am more relaxed. With this title I no longer have to tell myself every morning I can win, to put pressure on myself".

At the opening round in Australia, Häkkinen was forced into retirement as his car developed an throttle issue. However, he managed to clinch his first victory of the season in Brazil, despite his car developing a gearbox problem early in the race. Häkkinen retired from the race in San Marino when he collided with an barrier while leading. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Häkkinen managed to clinch third place, having slid on oil left on the track surface in the race. He followed up the results by clinching consecutive victories in the races held in Spain and Canada. Häkkinen took a second place finish in France, and was forced into another retirement in Britain, as a result of a wheel failure.

During the Austrian Grand Prix, Häkkinen who started from pole position, was hit by Coulthard from behind and rejoined at the back of the field. Häkkinen eventually finished in 3rd place.

During the German Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren

for 2000. Häkkinen encountered further bad fortunes in the race when his car's right rear tyre exploded at high speed, forcing his car into a 360° spin before resting on a tyre wall. He managed to clinch his fourth victory of the year at Hungary, and followed up the result with a second place in Belgium. Häkkinen retired from the following race held in Italy, due to a spin while leading the race.

He managed to clinch further finishes with fifth place at the European Grand Prix, and achieved a podium finish with third place in Malaysia. At the season finale held in Japan, Häkkinen took victory, which ensured he took enough points to clinch the 1999 World Championship, with 76 points, ahead of nearest rival Eddie Irvine.

In November of 1999, Häkkinen was ranked seventh in the Reuters Sports Personality of the Year Poll scoring 46 out of a possible 260 points. He was also awarded his second consecutive Autosport International Racing Driver Award for 1999. In November, Häkkinen was announced as one of the seven men shortlisted for the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year. At the awards ceremony on 28 December, Häkkinen was awarded second place behind skier Mika Myllylä.

For 2000, Häkkinen set himself new limits along with physical and psychological preparations for the upcoming season. He also believed that he along with Schumacher and Coulthard would be the key drivers of 2000. He endured a bad start: At the opening round in Australia, both McLaren cars retired with engine failure after completing less than half of the race distance; and in the following race in Brazil, Häkkinen was forced into retirement when his car's oil pressure became problematic. However, this marked a turning point as Häkkinen took consecutive second place finishes in the next two rounds, and later clinched his first victory of the season in Spain.

Häkkinen finished in second position at the European Grand Prix, having traded the lead position with Schumacher throughout the race. He followed up the result by taking sixth place at Monaco, fourth in Canada and a podium finish with second position in France. The day after the French Grand Prix, it was announced that Häkkinen would remain at McLaren for 2001. Häkkinen won the following race held in Austria, although his team were stripped of constructors' points due to missing seal on the electronic control unit in Häkkinen's car. He took another podium finish with a second place in Germany, and later clinched another victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix where he took the lead of the World Drivers' Championship from Schumacher. Häkkinen clinched his second consecutive victory in Belgium, which included a simultaneous pass on Michael Schumacher and Ricardo Zonta in the Kemmel straight. Häkkinen later took second place in Italy, and retired with an engine failure in the United States. He rounded off the year with a second place in Japan where he conceded the World Championship to Schumacher, and clinched fourth position in the season closing race held in Malaysia.

In 2001 the season started badly for Häkkinen: He was forced into retirement in the opening round held in Australia due to an failure with his car's suspension resulting in his car spinning violently into a tyre barrier. The McLaren cars were off the pace in Malaysia, with Häkkinen managing to clinch 6th place. He retired from the following race in Brazil when his car stalled on the starting grid, and clinched further points at the San Marino Grand Prix. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Häkkinen looked on course to clinch his first victory of the season, until the final lap of the race, when his car was hampered with a clutch failure and was classified ninth.

He suffered further consecutive retirements in Austria where he stalled his car on the starting grid, and Monaco where his car's steering failed after fifteeen laps of the race. At the following race held in Canada, Häkkinen took his first podium of the season with a third place finish. He clinched sixth place at the European Grand Prix, and was unable to start the French Grand Prix as his car developed a gearbox problem. However, this marked a brief turning point for Häkkinen as he managed to clinch victory in the British Grand Prix. He was forced into another retirement in Germany when his engine failed, later managing to clinch fifth position in Hungary and fourth place in Belgium.

Before the Italian Grand Prix, Häkkinen announced that he would be taking a sabbatical, citing the reason to spend more time with his family. He was forced into another retirement during the race due to a gearbox issue. He managed to clinch the final victory of his career in the United States despite incurring a grid penalty, and ended the season with a fourth place finish in Japan. Häkkinen finished the season 5th in the Drivers' Championship, with 37 points.

David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen drive old McLarens

I have posted a few Mika Häkkinen pics and quotes lately and now I found this! Häkkinen and DC are very funny of course as usual.

2014 Malaysian Grand Prix preview

SEPANG, Malaysia - The official F1 page has predicted rain for the weekend.

We have seen the first race of the season and now it's time for the second GP-preview!

Sepang has become a very legendary track over the years.

Remember when Mika Häkkinen chased the Ferraris of Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher in the first race back in 1999? The Ferraris were dominating the race and Häkkinen was just barely behind them. After the race Häkkinen sat down on the podium because he was about to pass out. He said that it felt impossible to win them.

Later they found out that Ferrari was using illegal wings on the cars. The FIA said that they can't use them anymore but didn't give Ferrari a penalty. Maybe because that would have decided the championship as well? Häkkinen would have won Irvine in the championship with over 10 points before the last race.

In 2003 Renault showed their claws for the first time since the 80's by taking 1st and 2nd in the qualifying (Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli). It was also Alonso's first pole position.
Unfortunately for Alonso's sake he didn't finish first in the race. He took the third place which was his first ever podium in F1.

The hero of the very wet Malaysian Grand Prix in 2003 was in fact not Alonso but Kimi Räikkönen. He took his first ever victory and smiled more than he did when he won the championship in 2007.




I would also like to mention the shortest Malaysian Grand Prix in history: The 2009 Malaysian GP that lasted for 55 minutes. It was stopped with red flags because of the weather and it never continued. Jenson Button won that race with Brawn GP (now Mercedes GP).




Then I must mention the race from last year. WHAT? YOU FORGOT ALREADY? Let me give you a hint......


MULTI -21



Mark Webber decided to leave Red Bull and Formula One because of this race and Sebastian Vettel got even more haters than he already had. He ignored the team orders and put himself above the team.


So who has been most successful in Malaysia of the current drivers?

Podiums:

1. Fernando Alonso - 5 (1st x 3, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 1)
2. Jenson Button - 4 (1st x 1, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 2)
3. Sebastian Vettel - 3 (1st x 3)
4. Kimi Räikkönen - 3 (1st x 2, 3rd x 1)
5. Lewis Hamilton - 3 (2nd x 1, 3rd x 2)
6. Sergio Perez - 1 (2nd x 1)
7. Nico Rosberg - 1 (2nd x 1)

Let's also keep in mind that Button has been in F1 since the year 2000, Alonso and Räikkönen since 2001 (Alonso didn't compete in 2002 and Kimi didn't compete in 2010-2011), Rosberg since 2006, Hamilton and Vettel since 2007 and Perez since 2011.

The official Formula One page has stated that it will rain in Malaysia so that might get a bit confusing again when I have to guess the results! I'll give it a try.

Pole Position: Kevin Magnussen

The race:

1. Jenson Button
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Valtteri Bottas

Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg

Surprise: Ferrari - They will be much better this weekend!

That was it for today. I'll see you guys around on the Facebook page ;) One more thing.....

Häkkinen: Räikkönen will beat Alonso!

Former F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen believes the style of driving required to maximise the new era V6 turbo will suit Kimi Raikkonen more than his Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso.

In his column for Ilta-Sanomat, Finland’s second F1 World Champion wrote, “I think Kimi’s driving style is really perfect for these turbo cars. Alonso pushes too hard, so I think Kimi will beat him.”

Hakkinen believes that Raikkonen’s return to a big team is ideal, as the 2007 World Champion will not have to worry about financial matters, thus enabling him to focus on driving to at his best.

“Everyone knows that Ferrari has huge resources to develop during the season. The development will not stop, even if good engineers leave. And Kimi does not have to be worried about the financial side, Ferrari has what it takes,” concluded Hakkinen. (source: gp247 and ilta-sanomat)

Mika Häkkinen tribute

After Ayrton Senna's death Mika Häkkinen was my absolute favorite driver. I just found this tribute video of him which was surprisingly good! Check it from the link below ;)

http://www.riemurasia.net/video/Mika-Häkkinen-Tribute/14050

Tooned 50: Mika Häkkinen

Mika Häkkinen is the biggest hero in Finnish motor racing history. He's mentors were James Hunt and Keke Rosberg. 

Mika was Ayrton Senna's younger teammate at McLaren and he was quicker than Senna at his first qualifying. He was also Michael Schumacher's worst enemy on the track.

Click on the YouTube-logo.

F1 TREASURES VIII

Earlier today I was coming home from a meeting and I stopped by this second hand store. A lot of boring books but then I saw one with Mika Häkkinen on the cover. He used to be my favorite driver.

The book is called "Ruutulippu" and if we translate it to english it means checkered flag. This book is in finnish obviously and it's from the year 2000. It cost me 4 euros.

I have said many times earlier that if you buy a Formula One related book in Finland there's always a Finn on the cover. Even though Michael Schumacher won his first world championship with Ferrari that year it doesn't matter. The only thing Finns are interested in is how Häkkinen drove in the year 2000.

In the upper corner there is a text "Mika Häkkisen kova taistelu mestaruudesta" which means Mika Häkkinen's hard fight for the championship. Again nothing about Schumacher.

The book is not only about Formula One but all motor racing. It's very strange that the other Finnish superstar Marcus Grönholm won the world championship in the world rally series that year, but he wasn't on the cover! Why not?! That's how much Finns love Formula One!

Oh wait.. Grönholm is on the back cover. A very small picture.

Happy birthday Heikki Kovalainen!

Heikki Johannes Kovalainen, born 19 October 1981 in Suomussalmi, Finland) is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who last raced for Caterham F1 in 2012, and is currently one of the team's test and reserve drivers. He drove for McLaren in 2008 and 2009 and Team Lotus in 2010 and 2011, before its rebranding to Caterham.

He 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 saw him achieve his first pole position at Silverstone and his first victory at 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 Team Lotus where he remained for 2011.

Karting (1991–2000)

Kovalainen's career began in kart racing, much like that of many other Formula One drivers. He competed in karting from 1991 to 2000, during which time he finished runner-up in the Finnish Formula A championship in 1999 and 2000. In 2000 he won the Nordic championship and the Paris-Bercy Elf Masters event, as well as finished third in the World Formula Super A Championship, leading him to be elected as the Finnish Kart Driver of the Year.

Formula Renault (2001)

Kovalainen began his car racing career in the British Formula Renault Championship, which fellow Finn Kimi Räikkönen had won in 2000 before moving straight into Formula One with Sauber. Kovalainen's apprenticeship in the junior categories of motor sport was more conventional, but he used Renault power at every step along the way. He finished fourth in the championship with two wins, two pole positions, five podiums and three fastest laps, earning the Rookie of the Year award. He also took part in the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix, where he finished eighth.

Formula Three (2002)

Kovalainen attracted the support of the Renault Driver Development programme and in 2002 moved up to the British Formula Three Championship with Fortec Motorsport who used Renault engines. He became one of the most competitive drivers on the grid by the second half of the season and all five of his wins came in the final nine races. With three pole positions and three fastest laps, Kovalainen finished third overall in the championship behind Robbie Kerr and James Courtney and he was again Rookie of the Year.

He also demonstrated strong form in the international non-championship rounds, with second place in Macau and fourth place at the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort.

World Series by Nissan (2003–2004)

Kovalainen moved into the Renault-owned World Series by Nissan in 2003 – but faced a tough team-mate at the Gabord team in Franck Montagny. Montagny had already spent two seasons in the World Series and had won the championship in 2001. Montagny won the 2003 title with nine wins to Kovalainen's one.

Kovalainen continued in the series in 2004, but moved to Pons Racing, where he won the championship ahead of Tiago Monteiro, with 192 points and six wins. With Kimi Räikkönen finishing seventh in Formula One and Marcus Grönholm fifth in the World Rally Championship, Kovalainen was awarded as the Finnish Driver of the Year.

GP2 Series (2005)

In 2005, Kovalainen entered the GP2 Series, the new 'feeder' series for F1 and the successor to Formula 3000. Driving for the Arden International team, Kovalainen began the season with strong results by winning the first round of the championship in Imola and then finishing third in the sprint race. In Barcelona he scored his third consecutive podium, but in the sprint race his car stalled on the grid. He dominated the race in Monaco by claiming pole position, leading the race for the first 21 laps and clocking the fastest lap of the race. Problems during his pitstop, however, dropped him down to fifth. At the Nürburgring he gave his best performance yet, by winning the race from 17th on the grid. In the sprint race José María Lópezcaused a collision which forced Kovalainen to retire. At Magny-Cours he won again from fourth on the grid, and came third in the sprint race.

At this point in the season, however, a resurgent Nico Rosberg with his ART Grand Prix team seemed to find more speed and began scoring victories, emerging as Kovalainen's main rival for the championship. Kovalainen and Arden fought back, scoring podiums and points positions in Silverstone, Hockenheim and Hungaroring, but were unable to find the necessary speed to beat Rosberg. In Istanbul's feature race Kovalainen finished tenth due to engine problems, but in the sprint race held in wet conditions he returned to his winning ways. At Monza Arden were fast again, and Kovalainen snatched his second pole of the season and won the feature race. In the sprint race he could only manage fifth position, however, and this meant that with four races left in the season, Kovalainen was leading Rosberg by only four points.

After a chaotic weekend at Spa affected by rain and Safety Cars, Rosberg took the lead from Kovalainen. In the final two rounds in Bahrain, Rosberg and ART seemed to be unmatched again, and he secured the championship by winning the feature race with Kovalainen finishing third. Retiring from the last sprint race, Kovalainen finished runner-up in the series, 15 points adrift.

Formula One

Renault (2004–2006)

Kovalainen was promoted in Montagny's place at the end of 2005 and spent the 2006 season in a full-time testing role, logging over 28,000 km of testing.Kovalainen, Franck Montagny and José María López tested the Renault R23B F1 car at Barcelona in December 2003. Kovalainen also tested for Minardi, but Renault made him second test driver alongside Montagny for 2004.

Renault's lead driver Fernando Alonso had signed for McLaren for the 2007 season, and Renault elected to promote Kovalainen in his place, which they confirmed on 6 September 2006. Team boss Flavio Briatore said: "With Kovalainen, I hope to find the anti-Alonso."

2007

Kovalainen made his race debut at the Australian Grand Prix. His season got off to a rough start; he made several mistakes during the race, finishing tenth. Flavio Briatore felt it was a disappointing debut for the young Finn and hoped the real Kovalainen would show up next time.

In Canada he made mistakes throughout practice, including one at the exit of turn 7, and hit the barrier. He crashed at the first chicane in qualifying, and damaged his rear wing significantly, and failed to make it through to the second qualifying session. In the race he made progress early on, and then halted. He had luck with the strategy and the Safety Car, and a podium was within his grasp, but he could not find a way past Alexander Wurz of Williams, who had also started towards the rear of the pack. Kovalainen was pulling away from the Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen in the closing stages, which was a real confidence booster for the team.Kovalainen scored his first World Championship point in his second Grand Prix at Sepang, Malaysia, and followed this with a ninth place in Bahrain. He then secured seventh place in Barcelona, outperforming team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, but finished down the order in Monaco, in 13th.

The second half of the European season failed to produce equally strong results, but it did keep the points tally ticking over. During the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, he was battling with Fisichella until the sharp Adelaide hairpin, when Jarno Trulli's Toyota made an optimistic lunge up the inside of Kovalainen which wrecked both drivers' races. Kovalainen had to pit for repairs and eventually finished 15th. Seventh place at the British Grand Prix was no disaster, with Fisichella finishing behind him.In the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis he qualified in sixth position, and a good start saw him go past Räikkönen into fifth place. He held Räikkönen off, and led the race at the end of his first stint when the cars ahead of him made their pit stops. He re-joined behind Räikkönen and looked comfortable in sixth place until Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber broke down in front of him, and thus, Kovalainen finished fifth, while team-mate Fisichella failed to score points.

After finishing ninth in the Chinese Grand Prix, Kovalainen made a mistake in qualifying in Brazil and was left 17th on the grid. At the start of the race his team-mate Fisichella was involved in a collision with Sakon Yamamoto, which in turn caused Ralf Schumacher to collide with Kovalainen, forcing him to pit. On lap 36 he felt a vibration at the left rear, and suddenly the back end of the car snapped, launching Kovalainen into the barriers. The retirement, possibly caused by damage from the collision with Schumacher, was his first of the season, meaning he lost the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of becoming the first driver to finish all of the races in his first season. As it stands, he shares the record for most consecutive finishes from start of career with Tiago Monteiro, both having finished 16 races. Kovalainen scored a point at both the Nürburgring and the Hungaroring, and scored three more in Turkey, with Kovalainen coming ahead of Robert Kubica. Kovalainen again led the Grand Prix when cars ahead of him made their pit stops. Seventh place at Monza was a fair result. The team took a gamble in the next race at Spa-Francorchamps, with Kovalainen on a one-stop strategy while his challengers for the rear end of the points were all on two-stop strategies, which included the BMW's of Heidfeld and Kubica (who was docked ten places down the grid due to an engine change), Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber. A good start from Kovalainen saw him become a mobile chicane for all of them except Webber. The gamble did not pay off, although Kovalainen held off Kubica in the closing stages to secure the final points position. Better was to come at the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway, where, despite not making it through to the final qualifying session, Kovalainen raced well. While most of his rivals got into trouble one way or another in the hazardous wet conditions, Kovalainen did not and held off Kimi Räikkönen in the closing laps to take second place and his first podium in Formula One.

McLaren (2008–2009)

At the end of the 2007 season Fernando Alonso returned to Renault, and Kovalainen was left with offers from Toyota and McLaren. On 14 December 2007 it was confirmed that Kovalainen would replace Alonso once again and drive for McLaren Mercedes in 2008, alongside Lewis Hamilton. Kovalainen joined Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen as Finnish drivers that have driven for McLaren.

2008

In Malaysia he was penalised five places for blocking Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber in the latter stages of qualifying, dropping to eighth. Kovalainen finished the race third as Hamilton faced problems in the pits, and Ferrari's Felipe Massa retired due to a spin. In Bahrain he flatspotted a tyre on the first lap and was consequently well off the pace of the Ferraris and the BMW Saubers. Towards the end he improved and recorded the fastest lap of the race again, coming home fifth. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Kovalainen had just taken the lead, when his front-left tyre suddenly deflated and his car crashed into the tyre wall on lap 22. Kovalainen's car was almost completely buried under the tyres. The Safety Car was deployed for six laps as the debris was removed, and he was finally removed from the car and placed on a stretcher, at which point he gave a "thumbs-up". He was then taken by helicopter to a Barcelona area hospital for further tests. His final condition was a minor concussion, whilst also complaining of a sore elbow and neck. Kovalainen apparently did not lose consciousness at any point, according to the people who assisted him at the scene, but he himself had no memory of the accident nor of giving the "thumbs-up". The first thing he remembered was waking up at the hospital and the team doctor telling him what had happened. Kovalainen was released from the hospital two days later and he was able to race in Turkey. The cause of the accident was later determined to have been a production error on the wheel rim.After his first official testing session occurred on 9 January 2008 at Jerez, Kovalainen made his McLaren race début at the Australian Grand Prix, where he was quickest in the first qualifying session and started third on the grid behind Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica. He overtook Fernando Alonso on the final lap, but then accidentally hit the pit lane limiter granting fourth place to Alonso, himself finishing fifth, but Kovalainen did set the fastest lap of the race.

In the Turkish Grand Prix, evidence of the different driving styles used by the two McLaren drivers became apparent. Hamilton's more aggressive driving style meant that he had to adopt a three-stop strategy for the race due to concerns over his tyres' durability at Istanbul Park, while Kovalainen was able to use a two-stop strategy. Kovalainen qualified in second place, but suffered a puncture during a fight with Kimi Räikkönen in the first corner and dropped back to finish the race in 12th place.

More disappointment was to follow in Monaco when a software glitch stalled his car on the grid. He was able to start from the pitlane after the mechanics changed his steering wheel, and he made his way up to score a point for eighth place. In Montreal, Kovalainen experienced difficulties with his tyres, as they seemed to degrade much more rapidly than Hamilton's, and the team was forced to tell him to take it easy in order to avoid a puncture. He finished ninth, and later described his race as a total catastrophe, suspecting the tyre issues had something to do with his driving style. At the French Grand Prix Kovalainen started tenth on the grid, after being docked five places for blocking Mark Webber in qualifying, and finished the race in fourth.

At Silverstone, Kovalainen achieved his first pole position, and led the race for the first four laps, before Hamilton passed him at Stowe. Despite two spins due to losing grip on the wet circuit, Kovalainen finished fifth. After the race Kovalainen reported similar tyre problems that he suffered in Canada; after a few laps the rear tyres were completely degraded and had lost their grip.

In September Kovalainen elaborated on the tyre issues for Autosport. The problem seemed to be indeed caused by his different driving style compared to Hamilton, particularly the way he enters corners, uses brakes differently and then accelerates. Hamilton turns the car in a shorter time whereas Kovalainen is trying to make the corners more round, inadvertently causing more wear on the tyres. They had made progress by adapting the car and working on his driving style. At the German Grand Prix Kovalainen finished fifth. In the week leading up to the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren confirmed that Kovalainen would remain with the team for 2009. He won his first race at Hungary and became the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix after race leader Felipe Massa retired due to an engine failure with three laps remaining. After the race Kovalainen commented: "In previous races my driving was too hard on the tyres. For this race we made somewhat radical changes to the set-up, and they were definitely a step in the right direction." He finished the following race in Valencia in fourth position, which moved him into the top five in the championship.

In Belgium he qualified third, but lost eight places at the start. On lap ten he collided with Mark Webber and was given a drive-through penalty, which dropped him to fifteenth place. He worked his way back up to seventh, but on the final lap had to retire due to a gearbox failure, which left him outside the points. At the Italian Grand Prix he qualified second behind Sebastian Vettel in the tricky wet conditions. In the race Kovalainen developed brake temperature problems, however, and could not match Vettel's pace, finishing in second place, but was disappointed at the lost chance for a win.

In Singapore, Kovalainen qualified fifth, and tried to overtake Kubica for fourth place at the start of the race, but they made contact at Turn 3, causing Kovalainen to lose two places to Glock and Vettel. During a Safety Car period, both McLarens pitted at the same time and Kovalainen had to queue up behind Hamilton, dropping him down the order to 14th. He ultimately finished tenth.

Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix Kovalainen discussed his driving style and the tyre problems in an interview with the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, feeling they had now solved the issues. He explained his driving style was now very close to Hamilton's, as well as his car set-up. Hamilton's aggressive driving style seemed to work the best with the McLaren MP4-23, allowing the tyres to last longer. Hamilton hits the brakes harder and turns the car more quickly into the corner, while Kovalainen's softer driving style would be to drive with a longer curve into the corner, going easier on the brakes and accelerating halfway through the corner. Since the McLaren was harder on the tyres than the Renault and the Bridgestones were not quite as robust as the Michelins, that driving style now led to excessive tyre degradation. In Japan Kovalainen qualified third behind Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen. During the initial tussle between Hamilton and Räikkönen, Kovalainen was pushed off the track along with several other cars. Kovalainen was running in third when on lap 17 his car suffered an engine failure.

At the Chinese Grand Prix on his 27th birthday, he qualified in fifth position despite leading the timesheets in the initial part of third qualifying. In the race, Kovalainen's first set of front tyres had been marked incorrectly, so the left tyre was installed on the right-hand side of the car and vice versa, meaning the tyres were spinning in the wrong direction, causing understeer. He reported the understeer on the radio, and during his first pit stop the mechanics tried to improve the situation by raising the front-wing angle. Now that he also had correctly marked tyres, however, meant that the front-wing was now causing oversteer and making the front of the car heavier. This possibly caused the puncture to his front right tyre on lap 35, forcing him to pit and drop down to 17th, before he finally retired on lap 49 due to a hydraulics problem.

Going into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Kovalainen qualified fifth on the grid, leading many to believe that the McLarens were fuelled heavier than the other frontrunners, having set the pace earlier in the weekend. Kovalainen eventually finished seventh.

2009

At the start of the 2009 season McLaren were struggling for pace. Both Kovalainen and Hamilton failed to get into the top ten in qualifying for the first two races.

Lotus (2010–2011)

In the Australian Grand Prix, Kovalainen retired due to a collision with Mark Webber in the first corner and in Malaysia he spun off on the first lap while fighting for position with Hamilton and Massa. In China he scored his first points of the season by finishing fifth. McLaren gradually developed the car and results began to improve, with Kovalainen finishing eighth in Germany, fifth in Hungary and his best result of the season, a fourth place at the European Grand Prix. This was followed by back-to-back sixth places at Spa and Monza, and seventh in Singapore. He ended the season with 22 points having had five retirements, this left him in 12th position in the championship. On 18 November it was announced that recently crowned world champion Jenson Button had been signed on a multi year deal as Hamilton's team mate leaving Kovalainen without a 2010 F1 drive.

2010

In Australia, Trulli did not start the race and Kovalainen finished 13th. In Malaysia, Kovalainen retired with 10 laps to go, and followed this up with fourteenth in China, while in Spain Kovalainen failed to start with gearbox problems. He retired in Monaco with steering problems, and in Turkey with hydraulic problems. Kovalainen finished 16th in Canada, 2 laps down.

It was announced on 14 December 2009, that Kovalainen would drive for Lotus Racing in 2010 along with Jarno Trulli. The team made their debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix on 14 March 2010. The car was off the pace in pre-season testing, due to a lack of downforce caused by the need for a conservative initial design. Kovalainen finished in fifteenth position in the race, two laps down on winner Fernando Alonso.

At Valencia on lap 9 Mark Webber's Red Bull hit Kovalainen's Lotus and went over the top, before landing and skidding into the barrier. Kovalainen recovered to the pits but retired from the race. A 17th place finish at Silverstone and a fourteenth inHungary sandwiched his fourth retirement of the season in Germany, due to damage caused by a collision with Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa. He retired yet again at the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix after his car caught fire in the final lap, although his decision to not go into the pit lane and instead stop at the side of the track and tackle the blaze himself was met with applause from the crowd.

2011

During the season, Kovalainen outqualified team-mates Trulli and Karun Chandhok in 17 out of the 19 races held, and Team Lotus principal Tony Fernandes stated that he was satisfied with Kovalainen's performance over the season.

Kovalainen remained with Lotus in 2011. At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he was forced to retire after a water leak, before recording his first finish of the season in Malaysia where he finished 15th, before a 16th place finish in China. He finished 19th in Turkey and crashed out in Spain, having started from 15th on the grid, outqualifying the Force Indias of Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil. He finished 14th in Monaco and 19th at the European Grand Prix, with further retirements inCanada and Great Britain. Kovalainen finished 16th at the German Grand Prix, before another retirement due to a water leak in Hungary. Kovalainen then finished each of the next five races, with a best placing of 13th at the Italian Grand Prix. He also finished on the lead lap, in 18th place at the Japanese Grand Prix, and finished ahead of the Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Pérez in Korea, in 14th place. In India, Kovalainen finished 14th again, running as high as tenth place during the race.

Caterham (2012–present)

2012

Kovalainen was retained by the team – renamed Caterham F1 for 2012 – for a third year, partnering Vitaly Petrov. This season was more stable, as Kovalainen finished all races but the initial Australian Grand Prix.

2013

Kovalainen and Petrov were dropped in favour of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde ahead of the 2013 season, but Kovalainen remained on good terms with Caterham, attending the Malaysian Grand Prix as a personal guest of Tony Fernandes. Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the team announced that it had re-signed Kovalainen as one of its reserve drivers, replacing Ma Qing Hua and alongside Alexander Rossi, in which role he will take part in the first free practice sessions in Bahrain and Spain.

Race of champions

Kovalainen competed in the 2004 Race of Champions at the Stade de France in Paris. In the first two rounds he defeated Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Jean Alesi, and then Ferrari Formula One star Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari 360 Modena in the semi-finals. He then beat World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb in the finals using the Ferrari and a Peugeot 307 WRC car, although Kovalainen had never even sat in a rally car before, to become the first non-rally driver to win theHenri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and earn the title "Champion of Champions". He also participated in the Nations Cup alongside countryman Marcus Grönholm, but they finished in second place after Kovalainen's Ferrari 360 Modena broke down in the finals, losing to the French team of Loeb and Alesi.

He returned to the Race of Champions in 2005, defeating Bernd Schneider and Felipe Massa, but was then knocked out in the semi-finals by Tom Kristensen. Kovalainen won the Nations Cup with Grönholm in 2006, but was eliminated in the individual event at the semi-final stage by Mattias Ekström by a mere 0.0002 seconds. In 2007, Kovalainen and Grönholm again made the Nations Cup final, where they lost to the German team of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Kovalainen beat Vettel in the individual race, before crashing on the finish line in the next round against Andy Priaulx. He crossed the line out of control, and Priaulx pipped him.

Kovalainen returned to the event in 2010, where he withdrew after suffering a concussion in a crash after a heat race against Sébastien Loeb.

Sources: Wikipedia & Google