Kovalainen aims to be more relaxed in 2009

Heikki Kovalainen will try, in this 2009 season, to adopt a more relaxed approach, believing that he put himself under pressure to succeed in his first year at McLaren.

The Finn was practically at the same level as Lewis Hamilton in the first part of the season, but slowly slipped down as the year progressed, eventually falling to seventh place in the championship.

Speaking at the launch of the new McLaren, Kovalainen admitted that he mishandled his 2008 season.

« I think I placed too much hope in myself and conversely, sometimes, I’ve been too hard. That’s why I haven’t won more races, » he declared.

« In hindsight, I had some good races, compared to Lewis, there were a few positive results, even though he scored more points overall. »

I want this new year to go as pleasantly as possible. I need to be more relaxed. It’s one of my goals.

He believes he will be much stronger now that he has spent a year with McLaren-Mercedes.

« I am much better prepared, I know how the team operates. I know it better, I know the key people in each department. The goal being to provide better guidance to the engineers and designers. »

Kovalainen does not complain about often having more fuel than his teammate, which consequently makes him slower.

« The strategists working on this issue are trying to find the best solution for the team, » continued the former Renault driver.

The best way to improve this situation is to always be stronger. The team will then make different decisions. But I would say that as a rookie at McLaren in 2008, Lewis was in a better position to win the championship.

« We hope, this year, that we can reverse the course of events and achieve a successful season. The main thing is to focus on performance. »