Lotus signs Heikki Kovalainen for remaining GP's

[Howard]

RaceDepartment submitted a new blog post:

Lotus signs Heikki Kovalainen for remaining GP's

Heikki Kovalainen will join Lotus F1 Team for the final two races of the 2013 season, standing in for Kimi Raikkonen who is undergoing back surgery.

Currently sitting third in the drivers standings, Raikkonen developed a back problem earlier in the season. After flaring up in Singapore, Kimi had injections and qualified poorly, starting in 13th. He rectified his disappointing qualifying result by racing his way through the pack to finish on the podium, third.

Heikki has one win to his...

Continue reading the Original Blog Post

 

[Bruno Sousa Ferreira]

just wondering why they didn't put their reserve driver in Kimi's place?

 

[Nox]

So 'reserve driver' means nothing then. I have nothing against Kovalainen but I think Valsecchi should have been given the drive.

 

[mystaaRS]

I guess they want 3rd Place in the Constructor's, so they gone for experience.

 

[Nox]

I guess they want 3rd Place in the Constructor's, so they gone for experience.

I understand that, but if they didn't think Valsecchi was good enough to get them points, why have him as a reserve driver at all in the first place? Would they have used him if they were earlier in the season? Points are equally important every race.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I like Heikki as a driver but this one should indeed have gone to Valsecchi.

F1 is cruel, this week proofs it again.

 

[mystaaRS]

I understand that, but if they didn't think Valsecchi was good enough, why have him as a reserve driver at all in the first place? Would they have used him if they were earlier in the season? Points are equally important every race.

I agree, but I don't think they aim to promote him, just for him to gain some experience first .

 

[Tume]

Get over it guys. It's money which rolls in F1, and as such Lotus wants to secure good points by experience, so they could pay Kimi's back surgery and missing wages.

 

[Ketnix]

Heikki is a known quantity as such, although Davide has shown promise he's got less experience in an F1 car and thus honestly Heikki is the safer option at such a critical point for Lotus.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Heikki has driven for the Enstone team before remmeber, there are probably some people in the team happy to see him again.

 

[M1GHTY M4VS]

They want another quiet Finn that's why

 

[Jeremy Sheppard]

Guess Heikki won't be getting paid either. That was in the fine print of the agreement but he may not mind at all.

 

[Alexander Macdonald]

I think Davide would have taken a couple of races to properly get up to speed, so I don't think Lotus could afford to give him the drive with them being in a crucial battle in the constructors.