Heikki Kovalainen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heikki Kovalainen
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Kovalainen in 2019
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| Born |
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen
19 October 1981 Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland
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| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Hyde
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Active years | 2007–2013 |
| Teams | Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham, Lotus |
| Entries | 112 (111 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Career points | 105 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First entry | 2007 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Super GT career | |
| Years active | 2015–2021 |
| Teams | SARD |
| Starts | 54 |
| Championships | 1 (2016) |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 10 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2016 (GT500) |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2022–2023 |
| Rallies | 2 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Stage wins | 0 |
| Total points | 1 |
| First rally | 2022 Rally Japan |
| Last rally | 2024 Rally Japan |
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (born 19 October 1981) is a Finnish racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2013. Heikki won the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix with the McLaren team. Later, in sportscar racing, he won the Super GT championship in 2016 with the SARD team.
Heikki was supported by the Renault Driver Development program. This helped him early in his racing career. He won the World Series by Nissan championship. He also finished second in the GP2 series. Renault then made him a full-time Formula One test driver in 2006. They promoted him to a race driver in 2007. He got his first podium by finishing second at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.
Heikki moved to McLaren for the 2008 season. There, he was teammates with Lewis Hamilton. In his second Formula One season, he got his first pole position at Silverstone. He also won his first race at the Hungaroring. This made him the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He stayed with McLaren for the 2009 season.
In 2010, Heikki joined the new Team Lotus. He stayed with them in 2011 and 2012. The team was renamed Caterham F1 in 2012. This was Heikki's last full season in Formula One. Even though his cars were not very competitive, he was respected for doing better than other drivers in similar cars. Heikki raced in the last two races of the 2013 season for Lotus F1. He filled in for Kimi Räikkönen who was having surgery.
In 2015, Heikki moved to Japan. He competed in Super GT in the GT500 class with Team SARD. He won the championship in his second year in the series, in 2016.
Contents
- Heikki Kovalainen's Early Racing Days
- Heikki's Formula One Career
- Race of Champions
- Racing in Super GT
- Rallying Adventures
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Extreme E
- Personal Life
- Images for kids
- See also
Heikki Kovalainen's Early Racing Days
Starting in Karting (1991–2000)
Heikki was born in Suomussalmi, Finland. His racing journey began in kart racing, just like many other famous drivers. He raced karts from 1991 to 2000. During this time, he finished second in the Finnish Formula A championship twice. In 2000, he won the Nordic championship. He also won the Paris-Bercy Elf Masters event. He finished third in the World Formula Super A Championship. Because of these achievements, he was named the Finnish Kart Driver of the Year.
Racing in Formula Renault (2001)
Heikki started racing cars in the British Formula Renault Championship. Another Finnish driver, Kimi Räikkönen, had won this series in 2000. Kimi then went straight into Formula One. Heikki's path was more traditional. He always used Renault engines in his early career. He finished fourth in the championship. He won two races, got two pole positions, and five podiums. He also had three fastest laps. He earned the Rookie of the Year award. He also raced in the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix, finishing eighth.
Moving to Formula Three (2002)
Heikki got support from the Renault Driver Development program. In 2002, he moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship. He raced with Fortec Motorsport, using Renault engines. He became one of the best drivers in the second half of the season. All five of his wins came in the last nine races. With three pole positions and three fastest laps, Heikki finished third overall. He was behind Robbie Kerr and James Courtney. He was again named Rookie of the Year.
He also did well in international races that were not part of the championship. He finished second in Macau. He also took fourth place at the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort.
Winning the World Series by Nissan (2003–2004)
Heikki joined the Renault-owned World Series by Nissan in 2003. He had a strong teammate at Gabord team, Franck Montagny. Montagny had already raced in the World Series for two seasons. He had won the championship in 2001. Montagny won the 2003 title with nine wins. Heikki only won one race that year.
Heikki continued in the series in 2004. He moved to Pons Racing. He won the championship that year. He finished ahead of Tiago Monteiro, with 192 points and six wins. Because of his success, and Kimi Räikkönen finishing seventh in Formula One, Heikki received the Finnish Driver of the Year award.
Racing in GP2 Series (2005)
In 2005, Heikki entered the GP2 Series. This was a new racing series that helped drivers get to F1. It replaced Formula 3000. He drove for the Arden International team. He started the season very well. He won the first race in Imola. Then he finished third in the sprint race. In Barcelona, he got his third podium in a row. But in the sprint race, his car stopped on the grid.
He dominated the race in Monaco. He got pole position and led for the first 21 laps. He also set the fastest lap. But problems during his pit stop dropped him to fifth place. At the Nürburgring, he had his best race yet. He won from 17th on the starting grid. In the sprint race, José María López caused a crash. This forced Heikki to stop racing. At Magny-Cours, he won again from fourth place. He came third in the sprint race.
At this point, Nico Rosberg and his ART Grand Prix team started to get faster. Rosberg became Heikki's main rival for the championship. Heikki and Arden fought back. They got podiums and points in Silverstone, Hockenheim, and Hungaroring. But they could not find the speed to beat Rosberg. In Istanbul, Heikki finished tenth in the main race because of engine problems. But in the wet sprint race, he won again.
At Monza, Arden was fast again. Heikki got his second pole position of the season. He won the main race. In the sprint race, he only finished fifth. This meant that with four races left, Heikki was only four points ahead of Rosberg. After a difficult weekend at Spa due to rain, Rosberg took the lead. In the last two races in Bahrain, Rosberg was too strong. He won the championship. Heikki finished second in the series, 15 points behind.
Heikki's Formula One Career
Driving for Renault (2004–2007)
Early Years and Testing (2004–2006)
Heikki, Franck Montagny, and José María López tested the Renault R23B F1 car in December 2003. Heikki also tested for Minardi. But Renault made him their second test driver in 2004.
Heikki was promoted to a full-time testing role in 2006. He drove over 28,000 kilometers in testing. Renault's main driver, Fernando Alonso, signed with McLaren for 2007. Renault decided to promote Heikki to a race seat. They confirmed this on September 6, 2006. Team boss Flavio Briatore said he hoped Heikki would be like "the anti-Alonso."
First Season in F1 (2007)
Heikki made his race debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. His season started tough. He made some mistakes and finished tenth. Flavio Briatore was disappointed. He hoped Heikki would do better next time.
Heikki scored his first World Championship point in his second race in Malaysia. He then finished ninth in Bahrain. He secured seventh place in Barcelona. He did better than his teammate Giancarlo Fisichella. But he finished 13th in Monaco.
In Canada, he made mistakes in practice. He crashed in qualifying and damaged his car. He could not get into the second qualifying session. In the race, he made good progress. He got lucky with strategy and the Safety Car. A podium finish was possible. But he could not pass Alexander Wurz of Williams. Heikki was pulling away from Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen at the end. This gave the team a lot of confidence.
At the 2007 United States Grand Prix, he qualified sixth. He had a good start and passed Räikkönen for fifth. He held off Räikkönen. He even led the race after other cars made their pit stops. He rejoined behind Räikkönen. He was comfortable in sixth place. Then Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber broke down. Heikki finished fifth. His teammate Fisichella did not score points.
The second half of the European season did not bring as many strong results. But he kept scoring points. At the 2007 French Grand Prix, he was battling Fisichella. Then Jarno Trulli's Toyota crashed into him. This ruined both drivers' races. Heikki had to pit for repairs and finished 15th. Seventh place at the 2007 British Grand Prix was okay. Fisichella finished behind him.
Heikki scored a point at the Nürburgring and the Hungaroring. He scored three more points in Turkey. He finished ahead of Robert Kubica. Heikki again led the race when cars ahead of him pitted. Seventh place at Monza was a fair result. The team took a risk at Spa-Francorchamps. Heikki used a one-stop strategy. Other drivers were on two-stop strategies. Heikki held off Kubica to get the last point.
Even better was to come at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix. He did not make it to the final qualifying session. But Heikki raced very well. Many rivals had trouble in the wet conditions. Heikki did not. He held off Kimi Räikkönen in the last laps. He took second place, his first podium in Formula One.
After finishing ninth in the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, Heikki made a mistake in qualifying in Brazil. He started 17th. At the start, Ralf Schumacher crashed into Heikki. This forced him to pit. On lap 36, he felt a vibration. Then something on the rear suspension broke. Heikki crashed into the barriers. This was his first retirement of the season. He lost the chance to be the first driver to finish all races in his first season. He shared the record for most finishes from the start of a career with Tiago Monteiro. Both finished 16 races. Later, Max Chilton broke this record.
Racing for McLaren (2008–2009)
After the 2007 season, Fernando Alonso went back to Renault. Heikki had offers from Toyota and McLaren. On December 14, 2007, it was confirmed. Heikki would replace Alonso again. He would drive for McLaren Mercedes in 2008. His teammate would be Lewis Hamilton. Heikki joined Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen, and Kimi Räikkönen as Finnish drivers for McLaren.
A Strong Season (2008)
Heikki's first official test with McLaren was on January 9, 2008. It was at Jerez. He made his McLaren race debut at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix. He was fastest in the first qualifying session. He started third, behind Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica. He passed Fernando Alonso on the last lap. But he accidentally hit the pit lane speed limiter. This gave fourth place to Alonso. Heikki finished fifth. But he did set the fastest lap of the race.
In Malaysia, he got a five-place penalty. This was for blocking Nick Heidfeld in qualifying. He dropped to eighth. Heikki finished the race third. Hamilton had problems in the pits. Ferrari's Felipe Massa retired. In Bahrain, he flattened a tire on the first lap. He was far behind the Ferraris and BMW Saubers. Towards the end, he improved. He set the fastest lap again. He finished fifth.
At the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix, Heikki had just taken the lead. Then his front-left tire suddenly went flat. His car crashed into the tire wall on lap 22. Heikki's car was almost completely buried. The Safety Car was out for six laps. He was finally taken out of the car. He gave a "thumbs-up" sign. He was taken to a hospital for more tests. He had a minor concussion. He also complained of a sore elbow and neck. Heikki did not lose consciousness. But he did not remember the accident or giving the "thumbs-up." He was released from the hospital two days later. He was able to race in Turkey. The crash was caused by a problem with the wheel rim.
In the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, the different driving styles of the McLaren drivers became clear. Hamilton's aggressive style meant he needed three pit stops. This was because of tire wear. Heikki could use a two-stop strategy. Heikki qualified second. But he got a puncture while fighting with Kimi Räikkönen. He dropped to 12th place.
More disappointment followed in Monaco. A software problem stalled his car on the grid. He started from the pit lane. He made his way up to score a point for eighth place. In Montreal, Heikki had tire problems. They wore out much faster than Hamilton's. The team told him to drive carefully to avoid a puncture. He finished ninth. He called his race a "total catastrophe." He thought his driving style caused the tire issues. At the 2008 French Grand Prix, Heikki started tenth. He had a penalty for blocking Mark Webber. He finished fourth.
At Silverstone, Heikki got his first pole position. He led the race for the first four laps. Then Hamilton passed him. Heikki spun twice because of the wet track. He finished fifth. After the race, Heikki reported similar tire problems as in Canada. The rear tires wore out quickly.
At the 2008 German Grand Prix, Heikki finished fifth. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren confirmed Heikki would stay for 2009. He won his only race in Hungary. He became the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Race leader Felipe Massa retired with an engine problem. After the race, Heikki said: "In previous races my driving was too hard on the tyres. For this race we made somewhat radical changes to the set-up, and they were definitely a step in the right direction." He finished fourth in the next race in Valencia. This moved him into the top five in the championship.
In September, Heikki explained the tire issues to Autosport. The problem was his driving style. It was different from Hamilton's. He entered corners and used brakes differently. Hamilton turned the car faster. Heikki tried to make corners smoother. This caused more tire wear. They made progress by changing the car and his driving style.
In Belgium, he qualified third. But he lost eight places at the start. On lap ten, he crashed with Mark Webber. He got a penalty. He dropped to 15th. He worked his way back to seventh. But on the last lap, he had to stop. His gearbox broke. He finished outside the points. At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, he qualified second. It was wet and tricky. In the race, Heikki had brake temperature problems. He could not match Sebastian Vettel's speed. He finished second. He was disappointed he missed a win.
In Singapore, Heikki qualified fifth. He tried to pass Kubica for fourth at the start. They touched. Heikki lost two places. During a Safety Car, both McLarens pitted. Heikki had to wait behind Hamilton. He dropped to 14th. He finished tenth.
Before the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, Heikki talked about his driving style. He felt they had solved the tire problems. He said his driving style was now very similar to Hamilton's. Hamilton's aggressive style worked best with the McLaren MP4-23. It made the tires last longer. Hamilton braked harder and turned the car faster. Heikki's softer style used a longer curve into the corner. He was easier on the brakes. This caused too much tire wear with the McLaren. In Japan, Heikki qualified third. During a crash between Hamilton and Räikkönen, Heikki was pushed off the track. He was running third. On lap 17, his engine broke.
At the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix, on his 27th birthday, he qualified fifth. In the race, his first front tires were put on incorrectly. The left tire was on the right side and vice versa. This made the car hard to steer. He reported this on the radio. During his pit stop, mechanics tried to fix it. But with the correct tires, the car now steered too much. This might have caused a puncture on lap 35. He had to pit and dropped to 17th. He finally retired on lap 49 due to a hydraulics problem.
Going into the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Heikki qualified fifth. Many thought McLarens had more fuel. Heikki finished seventh.
A Challenging Season (2009)
At the start of the 2009 season, McLaren cars were not fast enough. Both Heikki and Hamilton could not get into the top ten in qualifying for the first two races.
In the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, Heikki retired after a crash with Mark Webber. In Malaysia, he spun off on the first lap. He was fighting with Hamilton and Massa. In China, he scored his first points. He finished fifth. McLaren slowly improved their car. Heikki finished eighth in Germany. He was fifth in Hungary. His best result was fourth place at the 2009 European Grand Prix. He then had two sixth-place finishes. These were at Spa and Monza. He was seventh in Singapore. He ended the season with 22 points. He had five retirements. He finished 12th in the championship. On November 18, it was announced that Jenson Button would join McLaren. This left Heikki without a Formula One drive for 2010.
Racing for Lotus and Caterham (2010–2013)
Starting with Lotus (2010)
On December 14, 2009, it was announced that Heikki would drive for Lotus Racing in 2010. His teammate was Jarno Trulli. The team raced for the first time on March 14, 2010. Their car was not fast in testing. This was because it lacked downforce. Heikki finished 15th in the first race. He was two laps behind the winner, Fernando Alonso.
In Australia, Trulli did not start. Heikki finished 13th. In Malaysia, Heikki retired with 10 laps left. He finished 14th in China. In Spain, Heikki could not start due to gearbox problems. He retired in Monaco with steering problems. He also retired in Turkey with hydraulic problems. Heikki finished 16th in Canada. He was two laps down.
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At Valencia, on lap 9, Mark Webber's Red Bull hit Heikki's Lotus. Webber's car went over the top of Heikki's. Then it crashed into the barrier. Heikki made it to the pits but had to retire. He finished 17th at Silverstone. He was 14th in Hungary. In between, he had his fourth retirement of the season. This was in Germany. It was due to damage from a crash with Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa. He retired again at the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix. His car caught fire on the last lap. He decided to stop at the side of the track and put out the fire himself. The crowd cheered him.
Staying with Lotus (2011)
Heikki stayed with Lotus in 2011. At the first race in Australia, he retired due to a water leak. He finished his first race of the season in Malaysia, coming 15th. He then finished 16th in China. He finished 19th in Turkey. He crashed out in Spain. He had started 15th. He finished 14th in Monaco and 19th at the 2011 European Grand Prix. He had more retirements in Canada and Great Britain. Heikki finished 16th at the 2011 German Grand Prix. He then retired again in Hungary due to a water leak. Heikki then finished the next five races. His best was 13th at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix. He also finished on the lead lap in Japan, in 18th place. He finished ahead of the Saubers in Korea, in 14th place. In India, Heikki finished 14th again. He was as high as tenth during the race.
During the season, Heikki out-qualified his teammates Trulli and Karun Chandhok in 17 of 19 races. Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes said he was happy with Heikki's performance.
Moving to Caterham (2012–2013)
Heikki stayed with the team for a third year. The team was renamed Caterham F1 for 2012. His teammate was Vitaly Petrov. This season was more stable. Heikki finished all races except the first one in Australia.
Heikki and Petrov were replaced by Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde for 2013. But Heikki remained on good terms with Caterham. He attended the Malaysian Grand Prix as a guest. Before the Bahrain Grand Prix, the team announced they had re-signed Heikki. He became one of their reserve drivers. He took part in practice sessions in Bahrain and Spain.
A Brief Return with Lotus (2013)
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On November 14, 2013, the Lotus F1 Team confirmed Heikki would race for them. He filled in for Kimi Räikkönen, who was having back surgery. Heikki raced at the United States Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix. He finished 14th in both races.
After Formula One
Heikki was rumored to join Mercedes as a test driver for 2014. This would have reunited him with Lewis Hamilton. But it was never confirmed. In August, he tested a BMW Motorsport DTM car.
In August 2020, Formula One, with Amazon Web Services, ranked Heikki. They used an algorithm to compare drivers' performance. He was ranked the 8th fastest Formula One driver in qualifying from 1983 to 2020.
Race of Champions
Heikki competed in the 2004 Race of Champions in Paris. He beat Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Jean Alesi. Then he beat Ferrari star Michael Schumacher. This was in a Ferrari 360 Modena. He then beat World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb in the finals. He used the Ferrari and a Peugeot 307 WRC car. Heikki had never driven a rally car before. He became the first non-rally driver to win the "Champion of Champions" title. He also raced in the Nations Cup with Marcus Grönholm. They finished second.
He returned to the Race of Champions in 2005. He beat Bernd Schneider and Felipe Massa. But he was knocked out in the semi-finals by Tom Kristensen. Heikki won the Nations Cup with Grönholm in 2006. But he was eliminated in the individual event. He lost by a tiny amount to Mattias Ekström. In 2007, Heikki and Grönholm again reached the Nations Cup final. They lost to the German team of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Heikki beat Vettel in the individual race. But he crashed on the finish line in the next round against Andy Priaulx.
Heikki returned to the event in 2010. He withdrew after getting a concussion. This happened in a crash against Sébastien Loeb.
Racing in Super GT
In 2015, Heikki moved to Japan. He competed in Super GT (GT500 class) with Lexus. In his first season, he drove for SARD with Kohei Hirate. The next year, Heikki and Hirate won the Super GT championship. They started the last two races in fourth place. They got pole position and led most of the first race. They finished second. Then they won their only race of the season in the final round. This secured the title. This championship win was Heikki's first since 2004. After the 2021 season, Heikki announced he would retire from the series.
Rallying Adventures
Like many Finnish drivers, Heikki became interested in rallying. He said it was a "childhood dream." He tried to rally in 2009. He wanted to race in the Arctic Rally. He was supposed to drive a Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car. But he did not have time to prepare. He made his real rallying debut at the same rally five years later, in 2015. He finished third in his class.
Heikki first rallied in Japan in 2016. He entered four events of the Japan Rally Championship. His co-driver was Sae Kitagawa. He drove a Toyota GT86 CS-R3 for SARD. Heikki retired in Hokkaido. But he finished second in his class at the Shinshiro Rally. Heikki returned to the series in 2018. He used the same car and co-driver. He raced part-time for Rally Team AICELLO. He also raced in the Japan Super Rally Series in 2019. He was supposed to race full-time in 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic stopped these plans. He only raced in the Chūbu-Kinki Rally that year. He won the rally. He finally raced full-time in 2021 with Kitagawa. He dominated the championship. He won his class in all six races. He clinched the championship with a race to spare.
After leaving Super GT, Heikki focused on rallying full-time. He raced in the Japan Rally Championship with Rally Team AICELLO. He now drove a Škoda Fabia R5 in the JN1 class. He also planned to race in Rally Japan. This is the final round of the World Rally Championship.
24 Hours of Le Mans
Heikki was set to race in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans. He would drive a Porsche 911 RSR-19 for HubAuto Racing. His teammates were Nick Cassidy and Dries Vanthoor. But a scheduling conflict meant Heikki and Cassidy could not attend. They were replaced by other drivers. Despite this, Heikki said he would still like to race at Le Mans if he gets another chance. But the Japan Rally Championship was his main focus.
Extreme E
Heikki made his Extreme E debut in the 2023 season. He raced for JBXE. His partner was Hedda Hosås. He was replaced after two races.
Personal Life
In 2014, Heikki married his English girlfriend, Catherine Hyde. They had been together since 2002. They live in Coppet, Switzerland. In June 2023, they had their first child, a son.
Heikki plays the drums and golfs in his free time.
Images for kids
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Kovalainen in 2019
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Kovalainen at the 2002 Macau Grand Prix
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Kovalainen testing for Renault F1 in 2006, at Valencia
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Kovalainen at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, leading Nico Rosberg
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Kovalainen at the 2007 British Grand Prix
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Kovalainen had time to watch the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix after his only retirement of the season.
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Kovalainen driving the McLaren MP4-23
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Kovalainen at the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix
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Kovalainen leading Lewis Hamilton at the 2008 British Grand Prix
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Kovalainen testing the McLaren MP4-24 at Jerez
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Kovalainen at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix
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Kovalainen driving for Lotus at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Kovalainen driving for Lotus at the 2010 Italian Grand Prix
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Kovalainen driving for Lotus at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Kovalainen, with his new Angry Birds-themed helmet, driving for Caterham at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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Kovalainen testing at the 2013 Italian Grand Prix
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Kovalainen at the United States Grand Prix, filling in for fellow Finn Räikkönen.
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Kovalainen and Michael Schumacher at the 2007 Race of Champions.
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Heikki Kovalainen's first win in the 2019 All Japanese Rally Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Heikki Kovalainen para niños
- Formula One drivers from Finland
