Learn from my mistakes - Kovalainen
The Finnish ING Renault F1 Team driver, Heikki Kovalainen, wasn’t very happy with his day but explains why he is still feeling confident. The rookie hit the wall and only qualified 19th on today's grid, but due to an engine penalty he'll start the Canadian Grand Prix from 22nd position.
"Yes. The main drawback for me this weekend has been the lack of track time. After my accident yesterday and my engine failure this morning I wasn’t able to do much running. Of course, I made a mistake in the first part of qualifying but the car was repaired quickly, and I managed to get out again to fight my corner. No, the real problem is the lack of laps. I ran on the soft tyres for the first time this weekend in qualifying, and I didn’t have enough confidence to get the maximum out of the car."
What did you feel when you realised the car was heading for the wall?"My first reflex after the impact was to ask myself what state the car was in. Yesterday, I had the impression that I only kissed the wall and there was very heavy damage. This time after a much more violent impact I hardly dared imagine the consequences. Finally, all that was necessary was a rear wing change."
Despite this would it have been possible to get into the second part of qualifying?"The R27 was capable of doing it, that’s for sure. After the mechanics repaired the car and I was able to rejoin I thought that my time wasn’t too bad. But afterwards, when I looked at the data I realised that I hadn’t realised how much grip was available."
You have an engine that has to do both Montreal and Indianapolis, two circuits that test reliability to the maximum, will that have any bearing on how you use the V8 tomorrow?"If I get stuck in traffic there’s no sense in trying to get the maximum out of the engine and I’ll try and nurse it a little. On the other hand, when the track is clear I’ve got no other choice than to push as hard as I can."
Is the present situation difficult to handle from a psychological point of view?"I’ve got to stay calm and not let it get me down. Everything’s okay in this area at the moment. I’m still sure of my ability and I know that the team believes in me. I have to learn from my mistakes and not make them again. The results will start to come, that I’m convinced of."
Source Renault
