Heikki Kovalainen: biography, photo

As for Finland, there is a stereotype that people from this northern country are sluggish and unhurried. However, while a small Scandinavian republic constantly delivers fast and fast racers for Formula One racing. Mika Hakinen, Kimi Raikkonen - all these reactive Finns were on the leading roles in the strongest racing series of the world. Among his eminent compatriots, Heikki Kovalainen, a pilot of the Renault, McLaren, Lotus-Caterham teams is not so noticeable. He started his career well, completing his first season in the top ten, but then, without sponsorship, was forced to cooperate with not the most solid team and was no longer among the strongest.

Way to Formula 1

Almost all the strongest racing drivers of the world started their sporting career in karting. On small open machines, even children can hone their driving skills. Heikki Kovalainen also followed this path, the early years of which were held on the cartogram. He began to engage in motorsport in ten years, achieving quite good success. In 1999 he became the second in the country, and a year later he won the championship in Scandinavia. He also reached the world's catwalks, becoming the bronze medalist of the planet.

The next stage in the biography of Heikki Kovalainen was participation in the British Formula Renault series. An ambitious newcomer aggressively and boldly worked on the track, not embarrassed by competition from more experienced competitors. In his first season Heikki won two races and finished the year in the final fourth place.

The young Finn attracted the attention of Renault and was included in the sponsorship program of the concern. Season of 2002 Heikki Kovalainen started already in the races of Formula-3. Here, he also was on the leading roles and regularly won at the stages of this racing series.

Debut in the royal series

A young Finnish racer soon outgrew the level of minor racing versions and in 2005 was invited as a test pilot to the Renault team to test the fireballs of the French team. Throughout 2006 Heikki Kovalainen faithfully reeled the wheels on the machines of his new team, winding up in the end 28 000 km.

In 2007, the French "stable" left its leader Fernando Alonso, who preferred another team, and Renault executives decided to put on a promising Finn, transferring him to the main team. His first stage of the Grand Prix Kovalainen spent quite nervously, making several mistakes and completing the race in tenth place. However, already at the second event of the season in Malaysia, he managed to finish eighth, typing his first points in the championship.

Cool and confident Heikki Kovalainen very smoothly spent the first season. He could even become the first driver in the history of Formula 1, which in its debut season finished in all phases. However, at the stage in Brazil, his car was seriously damaged by the car Schumacher, and the Finnish racer left the race. In the end, he repeated the record Tiago Monteiro, who unerringly held 16 races in his first season.

Change of command

Fernando Alonso, who moved to McLaren, could not find a common language with the leaders and partners of the new team. As a result, he decided to return to Renault, with whom he was associated with pleasant memories of the championship seasons. Two "stables" made a kind of castling, as a result of which Alonso reunited with the French team, and Heikki Kovalainen moved to McLaren.

2008 was the most successful career of the Finnish pilot. It was in that year that he was the first and last time in his life to win the stage of the Grand Prix series, having won in Hungary, several times reached the podium.

The first race of the season in Australia Heikki Kovalainen began to shock, taking fifth place on the move. Already at the next stage in Malaysia he became the third and climbed the podium.

The Hungarian Grand Prix became the main event in the career of the athlete. The track in Budapest has always been considered one of the most insidious in Formula-1. It is replete with turns and gives little scope for long high-speed jerks. Cleverly maneuvering on turns, Heikki Kovalainen bypassed Felipe Massa, who broke down the engine, and for the first time in his career won the race.

In the course of the season the Finn once again managed to climb the pedestal, becoming the second in Italy, and finished the year at the final seventh place.

Recession in results

2009 was the time of the team Brawn, and McLaren almost did not participate in the championship race. Failures chased the pilots of the British team from the first stages. Neither Hamilton nor Heikki Kovalainen could not even rank among the top 10 in the first race. The latter also left the race in the first stage after the collision in the first stage of the Grand Prix in Australia.

At the next race in Malaysia, Heikki Kovalainen deployed on the first lap, and he finished among the last. Then his affairs improved somewhat, he regularly scored points, but never could climb the pedestal.

The leaders of the McLaren team were unhappy with the performance of their second pilot and took advantage of the departure of champion Jenson Button of Brawn, inviting him to himself instead of the Finnish rider.

Photo Heikki Kovalainen still appeared on the pages of sports publications, but his further career was in jeopardy. The driver did not have sponsor support from the largest companies and could not count on cooperation with the leading "stables" of Formula-1.

Attempting to restart a career

In 2010, three new teams joined the Formula-1. Tony Fernandez, the owner of Lotus decided to invite experienced pilots and used the services of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. The possibilities of the newcomer to the royal series of races were much more modest than such monsters as Ferrari and Mercedes, and the Finnish pilot had no technical capabilities with his new car in order to compete with the leading racers and participate in the fight for the championship.

For three years, spent in the new team, Heikki Kovalainen never went to the podium and could not even finish at least one race with points scored. The greatest success in these years for him was the twelfth place at the Grand Prix in Japan.

In 2013, the owners of Lotus, dissatisfied with the results of their team, decided to change the policy and began to attract in their ranks the famous and untwisted riders. Finn was out of work for a while, but then still was invited to the position of test pilot and began to experience new opportunities for high-speed cars.

Heikki Kovalainen. Personal life

In pursuit of glasses and titles, a simple Finnish guy did not forget about the girls. For a long time he met with the Englishwoman Catherine Hyde, who was engaged in sports psychology. In 2010, their relationship ended in a logical way, and they became official spouses.