Heikki Kovalainen has responded to his former manager Flavio Briatore, after the Italian claimed Lotus should not have signed him. Drafted in to replace the injured Kimi Raikkonen for the last two races of 2013, fellow Finn Kovalainen initially impressed in Austin last weekend but finished the US grand prix a disappointing 15th.
Briatore, Kovalainen's former manager and Renault team boss, reportedly observed that Lotus clearly got its choice wrong, and should have promoted reserve driver Davide Valsecchi instead. "The US grand prix showed that Lotus made a very bad choice choosing Kovalainen," Briatore reportedly said.
When told about Briatore's remarks, Kovalainen said in Brazil on Thursday: "I don't have any problem with Flavio. I don't want to have a fight with him," he told Turun Sanomat newspaper. "He said what he said and as an Italian, he is clearly of the opinion that Valsecchi should be driving. I can understand that. Of course it's easy to say something when the race goes bad," added Kovalainen. "But hopefully he also remembers to praise me when the race goes well."
Kovalainen revealed that Lotus engineers initially thought he had struggled in Austin because of a broken wing. "Only later it became clear that it was a bag stuck in the right front brake duct," he said. "The aerodynamics were affected really badly," he added.
Kovalainen said he has been impressed with the performance of Lotus' 2013 car. "I'm not surprised that Kimi has had such good results with this car," he said. "You can tell right away that the balance is really good and the package is strong overall." (GMM)
Kovalainen reacts calmly to Briatore criticism
- Published on 22 Nov 2013 15:22
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
Max Verstappen's wildest racing challenge yet revealedMax Verstappen will return to karting next month in a format never seen before. The Red Bull Racing driver will face ...
26 Aug 2026 16:02 -
Why Verstappen's rare Zandvoort mistake shocked Timo GlockMax Verstappen's heavy crash at the Dutch Grand Prix left Timo Glock relieved the Red Bull driver escaped unscath...
26 Aug 2026 17:04 -
Why Verstappen's rare Zandvoort error stunned his ex-Red Bull mechanicMax Verstappen's heavy first-lap crash at Zandvoort has left those closest to him visibly shaken, with former Red...
26 Aug 2026 15:00 -
New F1 circuit sees nineteen red flags in single day of testingFormula 3's first proper test at Madrid's new street circuit descended into chaos this week, with nineteen re...
26 Aug 2026 13:58 -
Why McLaren is ready to hand Norris a contract beyond 2030Lando Norris is expected to become the latest driver to commit his long-term future to a single team, with McLaren pr...
26 Aug 2026 12:57
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 Renault
- Base Enstone, France
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 7
- Romain Grosjean 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Jenson Button 15
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Jolyon Palmer 30
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 236,941 comments on Renault
26 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Renault
Replies (0)
Login to reply