Heikki Kovalainen has denied he has been lured back to Caterham on the prospect of a race seat in the near future. Having been dropped from the team's race lineup for 2013, the 31-year-old initially ruled out a reserve driver role, and in the past weeks has been indulging his passion for golf whilst remaining race-fit for formula one.
But he has now re-emerged at Caterham in a reserve role, and will drive on Friday mornings in Bahrain and Barcelona to back-to-back test the upgraded car. The Finn denied, however, that he has changed his mind because the prospect of a race seat is now looming. "There's no plans to race at the moment," he said in Bahrain. "The plan for me at the moment is to drive Fridays and help the team."
Kovalainen said he was convinced to return simply because it was better than the alternative. "We talked about this for the first time a long time ago," he explained. "At the very beginning I wasn't interested in this type of role. But when you're sitting at home for a couple of months watching other people drive the car, it makes you think 'I'd actually like to have a go'. Just before Malaysia, I had a chat with Tony (Fernandes) and I said 'Do you think I could do something for the team still? The idea we had earlier?' And he said 'sure'," Kovalainen revealed.
He played down suggestions his presence could be seen as him stalking the race seats currently occupied by Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, who have struggled to compete with their Marussia rivals so far in 2013.
"Naturally, if I'm pushing then hopefully that makes them even quicker," said Kovalainen. "But they've already done a good job this year; the car is not easy to drive. It's just that I have more experience about setting up the car, especially a fresh feel for this particular car. I think that's the main thing," he added.
"The guys don't necessarily know how good this car could be or if it is at the maximum right now. This is where we're giving them guidance -- trying different things and seeing if we can make it a more balanced car."
Ultimately, however, Kovalainen could not deny that his real ambition is to race again. "Of course I want to race," he said. "Being here puts me in a better position if a race drive ever becomes available here or even somewhere else." (GMM)
Heikki Kovalainen denies stalking Caterham race seat
- Published on 19 Apr 2013 14:01
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
What went wrong with Antonelli's car at Zandvoort?Mercedes have opened an investigation into the unexplained performance drop that cost Andrea Kimi Antonelli victory a...
27 Aug 2026 11:11 -
Why Coulthard thinks Lawson proved his doubters wrong at ZandvoortLiam Lawson has earned high praise from former Red Bull driver David Coulthard after filling in for the senior team a...
27 Aug 2026 15:18 -
Antonelli reveals emotional moment racing childhood hero VerstappenAndrea Kimi Antonelli has admitted he fought back tears the first time he raced wheel-to-wheel against Max Verstappen...
27 Aug 2026 14:16 -
Why McLaren's Stella doesn't believe Mercedes money excuseAndrea Stella expects Mercedes to accelerate its development programme imminently, despite Toto Wolff's insistenc...
27 Aug 2026 13:15 -
Why Red Bull keeps turning to Lawson during Hadjar's recoveryLiam Lawson has been handed additional track time by Red Bull Racing, completing a day of Pirelli tyre testing at Mug...
27 Aug 2026 12:13
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Team profile
- Team name Marussia
- Base Banbury, Russian
- Max Chilton 4
- Jules Bianchi 17
- Jules Bianchi 22
- Max Chilton 23
- Will Stevens 28
- Alexander Rossi 53
- Roberto Merhi 98
- 19,771 comments on Marussia
0 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Marussia
Replies (0)
Login to reply