Kovalainen will only leave Caterham for a leading team
The Finnish driver intends to respect his contract with the Malaysian team until the end of 2012, hoping that they will be able to make the expected step forward towards the middle of the pack, and only plans to leave Caterham if a seat in a top team is offered to him.
If there were a championship opposing the three teams promoted to F1 in 2010, Heikki Kovalainen would undoubtedly be the Sebastian Vettel. The Finn, who has dominated Jarno Trulli even in the exercise of the fastest lap—which the Italian is fond of—could therefore legitimately claim a seat in a more prominent team, even if he seems satisfied with his current situation: “I think I am in a good position, I have a good relationship with the team because I’ve been here from the beginning, so, for the moment, I haven’t had any contact with anyone else, and it would have to be a very serious contact. After next year, who knows…”
Kovalainen does not currently intend to leave Caterham—known this season as Team Lotus—unless it is to join a leading team: « I really have to be fair with Tony, and last year I renewed for two more years because I could see that one year in this team would not be enough. So I’m under contract for next year, and to be honest, it would really take a very good offer for me to start discussing it with Tony. »
The Finn also believes that if the opportunity were to present itself, Tony Fernandes would not oppose it: « If there were a seat available in a top team, I’m sure Tony would tell me to go for it. But somewhere in the middle of the pack, I don’t even consider it. Our team can make a step forward next season, and I’m quite happy to be a part of it. We have to see where this takes us and I hope we make a step forward, we have the means. Right now, there’s no better place for me, their support is great. »
Tony Fernandes assured, however, to Autosport earlier in the week that he would keep Kovalainen « no matter what »: « He is happy here, he is driving better than ever. […] I think Heikki is thriving here because he is happy, in an environment where the pressure is different, perhaps, from what he was used to before. So we are committed to him. We have worked hard on it, giving him a lot of affection and attention, and I think he would like to see his level of performance in a better car next year. »
The Caterham driver knows that there will be more opportunities in 2013, as seats like those of Felipe Massa, Mark Webber, or even Michael Schumacher could become available by then.
