Formula One news

Flav sees Kovalainen as 'future champion'

Heikki Kovalainen will have the almighty task of replacing World Champion Fernando Alonso next year at Renault, however, as he first predicted with the Spaniard, Flavio Briatore believes the Finn will conquer in Formula One.

At the end of the 2005 GP2 season, where Kovalainen came runner up to Nico Rosberg in the Championship, the founder of driver management company FFBB declared that the young Finn was the 'future of F1'. Now the Renault boss thinks that the Finn is ready to make the big step to a racing drive having spent this season as a test driver for the team.

"Heikki has done a fantastic job this year," exclaimed the 56-year-old.

"He knows the car, knows the team -- and after a year as our official third driver, he knows the business of Formula 1, not just on the technical side but in terms of PR, marketing and everything else. There will be no bad surprises for him next year, and now his time has come to show what he can do as a race driver. He will be judged on his performances, but we are totally confident that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Heikki is a very bright talent for the future of Formula 1."

Alongside the 'team player' Giancarlo Fisichella who has been retained for 'continuity', Briatore believes the 24-year-old adds excitement to a balanced driver line-up.

"From the outside, Heikki is replacing a world champion -- and some people may assess him on those terms," he said.

"But within Renault, we are approaching it as a fresh start and the beginning of a new era for the team. Change is a natural process for any company, and at Renault, we see it as an opportunity rather than a burden. In our eyes, we are not losing a driver who has won the world title; rather, we are starting a new story with a future champion," he concluded.

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