Kovalainen advises Hamilton to stay at McLaren in 2013
The Finnish driver thinks that Lewis Hamilton should stay with McLaren as he believes there isn't much better than the British team. However, Kovalainen understands that his former teammate might need a change for 2013.
At the beginning of September, as he joins the title race in the wake of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton is at the center of discussions and rumors that enliven the paddock. So, will he go to Mercedes or not? Although the native of Stevenage and his entourage have formally denied such intentions for now, for many observers, a departure from Woking would indeed be on the agenda for the 2008 World Champion.
Some, however, wonder what interest, other than financial, the Briton would have in joining a team that, for now, hasn’t lived up to all the hopes placed in it: “If I were him, I would stay there,” confides Heikki Kovalainen to the World of F1 blog as he would be on the list of potential candidates for the Briton’s seat in case of departure. “McLaren is a very big team and every year they are more or less there, and if they encounter difficulties, they can recover. I know from the experience I had there that they have great facilities and very good people, they have all the ingredients to win many races.”
Indeed, while since its return to the queen of categories the Mercedes team has recorded only one victory, at the Chinese Grand Prix this season, McLaren drivers have climbed to the highest step of the podium 16 times, currently on a series of three pole positions and as many victories: “It will be difficult for him to find a better team. There aren’t many better places than McLaren in terms of history, facilities, stability, and budget,” adds the Finn before acknowledging that ultimately, “the decision is up to Lewis and sometimes you can feel that you need a change.”
The native of Suomussalmi speaks loudly from his own experience and takes the opportunity to reflect on the two years he spent with the Gris, between 2008 and 2009, before finding refuge with Caterham – formerly Lotus Racing then Team Lotus: « I let the difficulties distract me too much and I wasn’t strong enough. That wasn’t the only problem, there were many others, but in the end, it simply didn’t work out. Towards the end of the 2009 season, I had lost confidence and things started to get more difficult, and I didn’t have enough trust in the car’s settings. Things became blurry: when what you need to do isn’t clear in your head, you’re at your limit and it’s hard to move forward again. I needed to take a step back to bounce back better. I have certainly regained my confidence now and I know what is expected of me and how to achieve it. »
Kovalainen has also confirmed that he does not yet know what his future will hold, as there is talk of a possible move to Maranello, replacing Felipe Massa: « In fact, I haven’t spoken with Caterham yet. I’ll discuss it with Tony Fernandes and Riad Asmat, and I’ll see what their plans are. I feel quite happy and comfortable here […]. I’ve been here from the beginning, so it’s something important to me, but obviously, I want to move forward and find myself higher up on the grid. I’ll talk to them first, and then I’ll see where I stand, what I need to do, and consider my options. I think my situation is better than in the past, and I’ve been able to raise my game, so I think that will help me, no matter where I am next year. »
