Kovalainen's Bold Comeback: From Surgery Bed to Commentary Booth
Apr.23 - Heikki Kovalainen is on the road to recovery, following open-heart surgery. It emerged in March that the former Formula 1 driver, who is 42, was being forced to put his..
Name | Heikki Kovalainen |
Country | Finland |
Height | 1.72 meter / 5 feet 8 inch |
Place of Birth | Suomussalmi |
Date of Birth | Oct 19th 1981 - 43 years old |
Season Entries | 7 |
Car Number | 7 |
First Race | 2007 Australian F1 GP |
Last Race | 2013 Brazilian F1 GP |
First Pole | 2008 British F1 GP |
Last Pole | 2008 British F1 GP |
First Win | 2008 Hungarian F1 GP |
Last Win | 2008 Hungarian F1 GP |
F1 Teams History | Renault (2007) McLaren (2008-2009) Caterham (2010-2012) Lotus F1 (2013) |
Heikki Kovalainen F1 Stats | |
Grand Prix Entries | 112 |
Grand Prix Starts | 111 |
Total Points | 105.00 |
Avg. Points per GP | 0.94 |
Grand Prix Wins | 1 (0,9%) |
Pole Positions | 1 (0,9%) |
Front Row Starts | 5 (4,5%) |
Avg. GP Grid | 13.6 |
GP Podiums | 4 (3,6%) |
GP Fastest Laps | 2 (1,8%) |
GP Points Finish | 29 (25,9%) |
Avg. GP Position | 11.9 |
GP Retirements | 25 (22,3%) |
GP DNF's | 19 (17,0%) |
Total GP Laps | 5.976 |
Heikki Kovalainen, born on 19th October 1981 in Suomussalmi, Finland, is a well-known name in the world of Formula 1 racing. Heikki had always been passionate about motorsports since a young age and started racing go-karts at the age of 11. He won several championships in his early years, including the Finnish Formula A Championship in 1999, before moving on to bigger and better things.
In 2002, Heikki won the British Formula Renault championship, and his talent did not go unnoticed as he was signed up by the Renault Driver Development Program. He eventually made his F1 debut in 2007, driving for Renault. Heikki's debut season was impressive, and he secured his first podium finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing 3rd. He continued to impress in his second season, but had a hard time beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton. He did secure his maiden and only F1 victory at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix.
In 2009, Heikki stayed at McLaren Mercedes and had a challenging season with the team. He continued to race in F1 until 2013, driving for Lotus and Caterham, and later moved on to other motorsports categories, including the Blancpain GT Series.
Apart from his F1 career, Heikki is also known for his incredible fitness levels, and he is a regular participant in marathons and triathlons. In 2014, he completed the Ironman triathlon in just over 11 hours.
One anecdote that stands out is from the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix. Heikki's car caught fire during the race, and he was forced to retire. However, instead of panicking, Heikki took a moment to wave to the crowds, who gave him a standing ovation for his sportsmanship and bravery.
Overall, Heikki Kovalainen's career in F1 may not have been as illustrious as some of his peers, but his talent, hard work, and dedication to the sport cannot be denied. He remains a respected figure in the world of motorsports, and his fans continue to admire him for his skills and his down-to-earth attitude.
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7th | 7th | 11th | 20th | 23rd | 20th | 23rd |
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 | 1154 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
2011 | Caterham | Renault | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 948 | 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 |
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 |
Year | Race | No | Team | Engine | Grid | Pos | Retired | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 2008 | 2008 Italian F1 GP | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
3 | 2008 | 2008 Hungarian F1 GP | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
2 | 2008 | 2008 Malaysian F1 GP | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 8 | 3 | 6 | |
1 | 2007 | 2007 Japanese F1 GP | 4 | Renault | Renault | 11 | 2 | 8 |
Year | Race | No | Team | Engine | Grid | Pos | Retired | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2008 | 2008 British F1 GP | 23 | McLaren | Mercedes | 1 | 5 | 4 |
Year | Team | Team Mate | Best Pos | Points | Wins | Poles | Pos | Quali | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Apr.23 - Heikki Kovalainen is on the road to recovery, following open-heart surgery. It emerged in March that the former Formula 1 driver, who is 42, was being forced to put his..
Mar.5 - Sad news is emerging from Finland, where former McLaren and Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen will soon undergo life-saving open-heart surgery. Iltalehti newspaper reports..
Feb.29 - Yet another well-known F1 name has questioned why Lewis Hamilton triggered an exit clause to get out of Mercedes at the end of 2024 in order to move to Ferrari. Fernando..
Jul.25 - Heikki Kovalainen admits his Formula 1 career may have been cut short because he split with Flavio Briatore. The now 40-year-old Finn was once one of F1's most promising..
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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..
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..
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