Kovalainen is in high spirits!

Kovalainen arrives in China with a very good mindset. By finishing the Japanese GP in second place, he stepped onto the first podium of his career and gained a great deal of confidence for the upcoming events.

As of today, he is only 5 points away from the sixth place held by Kubica, so it goes without saying that the Finnish driver’s hopes in China are focused on this point.

As he triumphed in the rain and fog in Japan, can he repeat this performance in China as the latest weather forecasts also predict rain for the race?

Heikki, you stood on the F1 podium for the first time in your career on Sunday in Japan. That must have been a very strong feeling…

“Yes, indeed. A great reward for me but also and especially for the whole team. After our very difficult start to the season, I think it was important for all team members to experience this kind of success again, a success they were all accustomed to in the past two years when Renault won two world titles.”

“We are all in high spirits to finish this end of the season in the best possible way!”

A new circuit, another country, how do you see the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix?

“It’s a still recent race, and the atmosphere, like in Japan, is very unique. The fans are still discovering this discipline, they often only know the big names, but they are very enthusiastic, and I think the Grand Prix week in Shanghai will be enjoyable.”

“I will try to get up to speed quickly on Friday and make the most of the track time to make good progress, as I have never driven on this circuit.”

What do you think of this circuit?

“I worked with DVDs from previous editions, including onboard cameras from former team drivers, and I would tend to say that this circuit is similar to Bahrain. We find the same straights, quick direction changes, and heavy braking.”

“On this type of track, you must have a very well-balanced car aerodynamically to be effective, particularly in rapid changes of direction. We generally opt for a very sharp and stable car under braking because it is an important parameter.”

“We will try to work well on Friday to find the limit for the qualifying and the race, we want to show what we are truly capable of in these last two races.”

According to the ING Renault F1 Team