Formula One news

Kovalainen not worried yet

Heikki Kovalainen would have expected a stronger Formula One debut with the team that won the F1 world championship in the last two seasons. The Finn has scored only one point so far but is confident the team will bounce back.

Kovalainen never expected to be so far off the pace with the Renault this season. "We thought we'd recover over the winter, but some days we've looked more competitive and some days we've been pretty far away," Kovalainen said in his BBC column . "We don't fully understand why the car is not performing like we want it to.

"It's been built by the same people who won two drivers' and constructors' championships and we still have the same strong, reliable powerful engine, so there are a lot of questions. There is also a lot of research going on at the factory and everyone is working flat out to find out why we aren't as fast as we should be. There's not much more I can say at the moment. "

But the Finn remains confident: "We will bounce back. We have the best mechanics, engineers and designers, and are still a fantastic team. We will find a solution eventually. But at the moment all I can do is drive to the maximum.

"I am always very realistic about everything. I live my life in the moment and it is better to stay calm and not panic when things aren't going well. It is actually harder for the mechanics and the other people in the team than it is for me. These are the same people who ran Fernando Alonso's car for the last two years. They were used to bolting the tyres on and seeing it take pole. Then they polished it, sent it out on a Sunday and it won the race. Now we are struggling to get into the top 10."

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• 07 Jan.
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• 06 Jan.
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• 05 Jan.
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• 04 Jan.
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• 03 Jan.
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• 02 Jan.
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• 01 Jan.
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• 31 Dec. '08
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• 30 Dec. '08
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  • Ecclestone: Button should take a sabbatical
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• 29 Dec. '08
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• 28 Dec. '08
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• 27 Dec. '08
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• 26 Dec. '08
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• 25 Dec. '08
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• 24 Dec. '08
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