Kovalainen with both feet on the ground
Renault's test and reserve driver, Heikki Kovalainen, will probably replace World Champion Fernando Alonso in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. Kovalainen has been named as one of the candidates taking a race seat at Renault since Alonso announced his departure.
Kovalainen though, has no high expectations: "There will be a space here but just because I am with Renault does not mean I will be automatically there. They need a good driver to replace a world champion."
"I am a better driver in Formula One because I have had a lot of laps in a Formula One car and I know what is important to make it quick. I am still closing the gap. It would be silly to say I can be as quick as Fernando straight away when he has six years and this is my first."
"Alonso is supposed to be quicker but the gap is not big, my pace is good. I am happy how I am improving - every test I manage to go faster. He is a very good benchmark, it's nice to beat him sometimes but he is quicker at the moment. It is good motivation for me, it is a good opportunity."
This season Kovalainen has proved to be ready for F1 as he showed his potential and skills during the many test sessions.
