Kovalainen and Hamilton on the same pedestal?

Heikki Kovalainen has no doubt, he will be allowed to fight for the championship on the same terms and especially at the same level as his new McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.

« I would never have signed with a team if I didn’t think I had as much chance as my teammate to fight for the championship and have reasons for final victory, » Kovalainen said during the launch of the new McLaren in Germany.

« You can’t know how the season will unfold, but at the initial stage, that is, when we are in Australia in mid-March, I will have exactly the same tools at my disposal as Lewis. It’s up to me, then, to build a relationship with the team and make it as strong as possible. And we will see what happens. »

« I will have equal treatment, » he added.

The Finn has just joined the Woking team after spending a year with Renault. Hamilton, on the other hand, will be entering his second year with McLaren-Mercedes, which has supported him for over a decade now.

Kovalainen admits that he needs to really get to know his new team as best as he can in order not to be at a disadvantage compared to his teammate.

« It’s obvious that I need to work with the team during the period from today up to the first major event of the season in Melbourne.

« To be honest, I already started doing it the day I signed my contract. The next day, I toured the factory with the aim of getting to know everyone and seeing how the team operates, » continued the driver.

« It is something I need to focus on a little more than Lewis. He has already been a driver for a year and therefore he already knows how the team operates. »

« I need to go back there, but I also have to work harder than ever from now until Melbourne. I should be fully integrated into the team. »