Heikki Kovalainen 2020 Beyond the Grid interview
This week Tom welcomes one-time Grand Prix winner Heikki Kovalainen onto the show to discuss his rollercoaster Grand Prix career, which began with Renault in 2007 and took in 111..
Heikki Kovalainen info & statistics
| Name | Heikki Kovalainen |
| Country |  Finland |
| Place of Birth | Suomussalmi |
| Date of Birth | Oct 19th 1981 - 39 years old |
| First Race | 2007 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last Race | 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| First Pole | 2008 British Grand Prix |
| Last Pole | 2008 British Grand Prix |
| First Win | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Last Win | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| First Podium | 2007 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Last Podium | 2008 Italian Grand Prix |
Heikki Kovalainen F1 Stats | |
| Race Entries | 112 |
| Race Starts | 111 |
| Race Wins | 1 (0,9%) |
| Pole Positions | 1 (0,9%) |
| Fastest Laps | 2 (1,8%) |
| Podiums | 4 (3,6%) |
| Points Finishes | 29 (25,9%) |
| Retirements | 25 (22,3%) |
| Frontrow Starts | 5 |
| Total Points | 105 |
| Total Laps | 5.839 |
Seasons
Heikki Kovalainen Final Championship Results
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | 7th | 11th | 20th | 23rd | 20th | 23rd |
Heikki Kovalainen F1 Seasons Summary
| Year | Team | Engine | GP | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pod | Pole | Laps | FL | Avg Pts | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 |  Lotus F1 | Renault | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2012 | Caterham | Renault | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1018 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2011 | Caterham | Renault | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 947 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2010 | Caterham | Cosworth | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 926 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| 2009 | McLaren | Mercedes | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 788 | 0 | 1.29 | 22 |
| 2008 | McLaren | Mercedes | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1011 | 2 | 2.94 | 53 |
| 2007 |  Renault | Renault | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1023 | 0 | 1.76 | 30 |
Races
Heikki Kovalainen F1 GP Race Classifications
| 1st | 1 Time |
| 2nd | 2 Times |
| 3rd | 1 Time |
| 4th | 4 Times |
| 5th | 7 Times |
| 6th | 3 Times |
| 7th | 5 Times |
| 8th | 6 Times |
| 9th | 3 Times |
| 10th | 3 Times |
| 11th | 2 Times |
| 12th | 4 Times |
| 13th | 6 Times |
| 14th | 11 Times |
| 15th | 6 Times |
| 16th | 8 Times |
| 17th | 8 Times |
| 18th | 7 Times |
| 19th | 3 Times |
| 23rd | 1 Time |
| DNF | 19 Times |
| NC | 1 Time |
| DNS | 1 Time |
Heikki Kovalainen F1 GP Race Results
Podiums
Heikki Kovalainen F1 Podium Finishes
| Year | Race | No | Team | Engine | Grid | Pos | Retired | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2008 | 2008 Italian Grand Prix result | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 3 | 2008 | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix result | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| 2 | 2008 | 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix result | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 8 | 3 | 6 | |
| 1 | 2007 | 2007 Japanese Grand Prix result | 4 | Renault | Renault | 11 | 2 | 8 |
Poles
Heikki Kovalainen F1 Pole Positions
| Year | Race | No | Team | Engine | Grid | Pos | Retired | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008 | 2008 British Grand Prix result | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 1 | 5 | 4 |
Comparison
Heikki Kovalainen Teammate Comparison
| Season | Team | Team Mate | Best Pos | Points | Wins | Poles | Position | Qualifying | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Renault | Giancarlo Fisichella | 2 | 4 | 30 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
| 2008 | McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 1 | 53 | 98 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 13 |
| 2009 | McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | 4 | 1 | 22 | 49 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 12 |
| 2010 | Caterham | Jarno Trulli | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| 2011 | Caterham | Jarno Trulli | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 2 |
| Karun Chandhok | 16 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | Caterham | Vitaly Petrov | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 |
| 2013 | Lotus F1 | Romain Grosjean | 14 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
News
Latest Heikki Kovalainen News
Kovalainen: Rosberg achievements are under estimated
The extent of Nico Rosberg's career achievements in Formula 1 is not fully appreciated. That is the view of Heikki Kovalainen, a former F1 driver who - like Rosberg - was once..
First win of Vettel & Toro Rosso 2008 Italian GP
In 2008 the then 21 year + 72 days old Sebastian Vettel broke the records of youngest pole-sitter and race winner in F1 history. By winning the 2008 Italian F1 GP Vettel also..
Kovalainen made bid to replace Bottas
Jan.18 - Former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he made a bid to replace the Mercedes-bound Valtteri Bottas at Williams for 2017. Amid strong speculation that Bottas..
Kovalainen: 'No problems' in Bottas-Hamilton pairing
Jan.18 - Lewis Hamilton's former teammate says Valtteri Bottas should not have any trouble working with the triple world champion in 2017. "I have good memories with Lewis," said..
Bottas gets married in Helsinki
Sep.12 - Valtteri Bottas has enjoyed an exciting preparation for this weekend's Singapore grand prix. Turun Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, reports that the 27-year-old Williams..
Kovalainen predicts 'difficult' start for Haas
Mar.16 - Heikki Kovalainen thinks F1's new American team Haas will have a "very difficult" debut season. Haas, however, has entered the sport with a lot of confidence. "Generally,..
Kovalainen: Bottas' career could stagnate at Williams
Oct.7 - Valtteri Bottas risks watching his F1 career stagnate at Williams, fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen has warned. Earlier this year, the now 26-year-old Bottas was a strong..
Kovalainen to test DTM car
Heikki Kovalainen looks set to rebuild his motor racing career in the German touring car series DTM. According to the Finnish broadcaster MTV3, the German marque BMW has announced..
Read more Heikki Kovalainen News »
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