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| Heikki Kovalainen | |
|---|---|
 Kovalainen in 2019 | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 19 October 1981 Suomussalmi, Finland |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Active years | 2007–2013 |
| Teams | Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham, Lotus F1 |
| Entries | 112 (111 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Career points | 105 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First entry | 2007 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2022–2023 |
| Rallies | 2 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Stage wins | 0 |
| Total points | 1 |
| First rally | 2022 Rally Japan |
| Last rally | 2023 Rally Japan |
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhei̯kːi ˈkoʋɑlɑi̯nen]; born 19 October 1981) is a Finnish racing driver competing in the Japan Rally Championship for Rally Team AICELLO. He raced in Formula One between 2007 and 2013 for the Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham and Lotus F1 teams, scoring a single victory at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix. After leaving Formula One, he raced in the Japanese Super GT series between 2015 and 2021, where he won the championship in 2016.
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 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.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (12 December 2011). "2011 F1 driver rankings part two: 15-6". Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan. "Sebastian Vettel voted best F1 driver of 2011 by team bosses". Autosport.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020.