Kovalainen Signs with McLaren

[Harakimi]

Heikki Kovalainen teams up with Lewis Hamilton for 2008. Team announced that Heikkis contract is multiyear. woohoo! :D

He will start testing with McLaren at January. Heikki will be 4th Finn in the team after Keke Rosberg (1986), Mika Häkkinen (93-01) and Kimi Räikkönen (02-06).

GRATS HEIKKI! :finishfirst:

[EIR Loe.307]

Settles that one!! That was almost a given....almost. I wonder what kind of deal he got.

[Driverdb]

Great for Kova and hopefully great for McLaren as well. :)

[GreyKitten]

This is such good news, something to smile about - and there hasn't been much of that lately!

:thumbsup:

[NetOz]

really good deal for both parts, lets wait to see if he is going to compete with lewis or if he is going to be second driver :(

[JoStream]

really good deal for both parts, lets wait to see if he is going to compete with lewis or if he is going to be second driver :(

That gives us a very, very exciting line-up for 2008 doesn't it? :drunk:

Kovalainen is not going to accept a number two role, and he will give Hamilton a run for his money. Just imagine the irony if he beats Hamilton next season :lol:

[brhythm]

No matter what,I support him.

[hk77]

That gives us a very, very exciting line-up for 2008 doesn't it? :drunk:

Kovalainen is not going to accept a number two role, and he will give Hamilton a run for his money. Just imagine the irony if he beats Hamilton next season :lol:



agree,
however i think that it will take him sometime till he gets used to the car, maybe half a season, by that time he will be forced to be their 2nd driver.

lewis hamilton has to make the best out of the 08 season, other wise he will be faced with a very difficult future along side heikki.

[DanicaRules]

really good deal for both parts, lets wait to see if he is going to compete with lewis or if he is going to be second driver :(


See, this what confuses me about F1. If you are on the same team, how are you a second driver ? Shouldnt everyone on a race team be a seperate driver ?

I guess I just dont understand F1 team set-ups. IRL is easy... AGR for example has 4 drivers. They are all on the same race team but still compete against each other. Once the driver is out, there is no 2nd driver to take over the car.:confused:

[Harakimi]

See, this what confuses me about F1. If you are on the same team, how are you a second driver ? Shouldnt everyone on a race team be a seperate driver ?

In F1 the strategy is very important. There is one tactic which is "spot on" and everything else is not. With current qualifying regulations when top 10 in the qually have to do their qually laps with the amount of petrol they are going to start the race with. Teams basically has to favour one or the other with fuel load at this point, and after that there is the race strategy...

It's illegal nowadays to have team orders, but it still happens. I just love the clip where Jean Todt speaks via radio to Barrichello few years ago, during the last lap or such: 'Let Michael pass for the championship'. And Barrichello did. :)

[Harakimi]

really good deal for both parts, lets wait to see if he is going to compete with lewis or if he is going to be second driver :(

Heikki has mentally very difficult season ahead, but so does Piquet. Nobody really didn't think that Hamilton would be that fast. Alonso had shown his skills with 2 titles allready but Lewis challenged him good, and I think that it was the lack of experience among strategy mistakes by the team, and also a war-state in the team which caused Lewis Hamilton to lose the title to Raikkonen.

So both Kovalainen and Piquet are going to be measured against Alonso, Hamilton and of course Raikkonen. And it's going to get tough if they are slower than their teamies. ;)

[DanicaRules]

Ok Harakimi, pardon my ignorance of it and help me clear this up..

So will Hamilton and Kovalainen be in seperate cars and both be qualifying for a race. If they both qualify, they both run in it, is this correct or am I still confused ?:o

[Harakimi]

So will Hamilton and Kovalainen be in seperate cars and both be qualifying for a race. If they both qualify, they both run in it, is this correct or am I still confused ?:o

You are correct. F1 qually rules are bit twisted now, I hope american commmentators explain the rules at broadcasts. They are easy but pretty silly.

[DanicaRules]

You are correct. F1 qually rules are bit twisted now, I hope american commmentators explain the rules at broadcasts. They are easy but pretty silly.


Ok, that makes sense. I guess I was confused about someone mentioning the second driver. It made it sound like Kovalainen was like a relief pitcher in baseball, that he would come in and driver if something happened to Hamilton.

Thats what is simple about the IRL, if you qualify fast enough, you are in, doesnt matter what team you are on.

Thanks for your patience with me harakimi, Im still learning this F1 stuff.:o

[Ryan]

When we say 1st and 2nd driver in reference to F1 we are simply referring to which driver gets the priority of the teams attention.

When Schumacher was around his team-mates always had to wait for the mechanics to make sure his car was ready first, he always got the best spare parts, and the spare car was always set up for him.

Recently top teams like McLaren and Ferrari haven't explicitly named #1 drivers. Attempting to give each driver equal opportunity, and Alonso chafed under this at McLaren as he felt he was superior, and as a 2 time champion, deserved the teams full attention.

It can be an unfair system but it generally prevents internal conflicts, such as at McLaren this season, when each driver knows his place in the team.

[JoStream]

Ok Harakimi, pardon my ignorance of it and help me clear this up..

So will Hamilton and Kovalainen be in seperate cars and both be qualifying for a race. If they both qualify, they both run in it, is this correct or am I still confused ?:o

Everybody usually qualifies. Harakimi was just talking about how their reputations might suffer if they lose out against there team mates (i.e. Piquet wins, Kovalainen comes in fifth for example) :)

[DanicaRules]

Ok, that makes sense now. But to me, that isnt fair to anyone on a team who isnt priority. That would create internal conflicts and problems to me. I believe everyone should get the same equipment. That is the fairest way of doing things.

Ok, enough of that rant, now back on topic. I hope it was a good move for him.

[Ryan]

Ok, that makes sense now. But to me, that isnt fair to anyone on a team who isnt priority. That would create internal conflicts and problems to me. I believe everyone should get the same equipment. That is the fairest way of doing things.

Ok, enough of that rant, now back on topic. I hope it was a good move for him.

They do it in IRL too. It's just not as obvious.

[WRCfan]

Congrats to Kovalainen! Can see him doing fairly well this season so good luck to him and Hamilton.

[F1 Ferrari]

Raikkonen and Kovalainen fighting world champion title :thumbsup::)

[JoStream]

Raikkonen and Kovalainen fighting world champion title :thumbsup::)

Haha :lol: Aren't you Finns having fun :p. I admit, you have bloody good drivers :D

[Harakimi]

Yes we do. :cool: BTW welcome to the forum. F1 Ferrari. You will find this place nice way to escape those trolls on .fi forums ;)

[DarkLord]

Raikkonen and Kovalainen fighting world champion title :thumbsup::)

no chance buddy...kimi is gonna fry kova n McCheatren :lol:

[Blazing Lion]

Heikki will be a good replacement to Alonso.