Formula One news

McLaren boss jumps to Kovalainen defence

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has jumped to the defence of Heikki Kovalainen after the Finnish driver struggled to match or even fight with Sebastian Vettel for victory in the Italian Grand Prix.

Kovalainen looked disappointed after the race, having finished second and never looking like being in contention. 

"Heikki has no reason to feel disappointed - the reality is that he didn't put a foot wrong all weekend and looked blindingly fast in dry, damp and full-wet conditions; fuel-corrected, he would have been on pole position comfortably," Whitmarsh said. 

"He struggled a little with visibility in the early stages of the race and had a few difficulties with his tyres and brake temperatures, but we are not disappointed with his result," he added. "Let's not forget that Heikki is fearsomely quick but is still very much developing his approach. We have a clearly defined programme for him in the weeks and months ahead and feel certain that he will only grow stronger."

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