Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula 1 driver with 111 race starts from 2007 to 2013, 1 win, 1 pole position, 4 podiums and 105 championship points.
Kovalainen's first start was the 2007 Australian Grand Prix for Renault, from 13th on the grid, finishing 10th. The first win came at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren, in the 28th start, from 2nd on the grid. The best season was 2008: 7th in the championship with 53 points, 1 win and 3 podiums, for McLaren. The longest team-mate pairing was with Lewis Hamilton, 35 races: Kovalainen finished ahead 11 times to 23 when both were classified, and out-qualified Hamilton 10 times to 25. 20 of the 111 starts ended in a retirement (18%), and Kovalainen led 42 laps in total.
- Nationality
- Finnish
- Born
- 19 Oct 1981 (age 45)
- Active
- 2007 to 2013, 7 seasons
- Teams
- Renault, McLaren, Lotus, Caterham, Lotus F1
| Starts | Wins | Poles | Podiums | Fastest laps | Laps led | Points | DNFs | Best finish | Best championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 42 | 105 | 20 | 1st | 7th |
First win: 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix. Win rate 0.9% of starts.
Compare with team-mates: Lewis Hamilton, Jarno Trulli, Vitaly Petrov, Giancarlo Fisichella. Or anyone else.
Season by season
Explained: how points and the championships work · how the points system changed since 1950 · the closest and most one-sided team-mate pairings.
| Season | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | Podiums | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Lotus F1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd |
| 2012 | Caterham | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd |
| 2011 | Lotus | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd |
| 2010 | Lotus | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| 2009 | McLaren | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 12th |
| 2008 | McLaren | 18 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 53 | 7th |
| 2007 | Renault | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 7th |
By team
| Team | Years | Starts | Wins | Poles | Podiums | Laps led | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renault | 2007 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 30 |
| McLaren | 2008–2009 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 75 |
| Lotus | 2010–2011 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caterham | 2012 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lotus F1 | 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
All 1 wins
| # | Race | Circuit | Team | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | McLaren | 2 |
Every race
| Race | Team | Grid | Finish | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix | Lotus F1 | 11 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2013 United States Grand Prix | Lotus F1 | 8 | 15 | Finished | 0 |
| 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix | Caterham | 20 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 United States Grand Prix | Caterham | 22 | 18 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Caterham | 18 | 13 | Finished | 0 |
| 2012 Indian Grand Prix | Caterham | 20 | 18 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Korean Grand Prix | Caterham | 19 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Japanese Grand Prix | Caterham | 17 | 15 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Singapore Grand Prix | Caterham | 19 | 15 | Finished | 0 |
| 2012 Italian Grand Prix | Caterham | 17 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Belgian Grand Prix | Caterham | 18 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix | Caterham | 19 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 German Grand Prix | Caterham | 16 | 19 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2012 British Grand Prix | Caterham | 19 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 European Grand Prix | Caterham | 16 | 14 | Finished | 0 |
| 2012 Canadian Grand Prix | Caterham | 17 | 18 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Monaco Grand Prix | Caterham | 17 | 13 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Spanish Grand Prix | Caterham | 19 | 16 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix | Caterham | 16 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Chinese Grand Prix | Caterham | 18 | 23 | +3 Laps | 0 |
| 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix | Caterham | 24 | 18 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2012 Australian Grand Prix | Caterham | 18 | R | Suspension | 0 |
| 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 16 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Lotus | 17 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2011 Indian Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 14 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Korean Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2011 Japanese Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 18 | Finished | 0 |
| 2011 Singapore Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 16 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Italian Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | 13 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Belgian Grand Prix | Lotus | 16 | 15 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | R | Water leak | 0 |
| 2011 German Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 16 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 British Grand Prix | Lotus | 17 | R | Gearbox | 0 |
| 2011 European Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 19 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Canadian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | R | Transmission | 0 |
| 2011 Monaco Grand Prix | Lotus | 17 | 14 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Spanish Grand Prix | Lotus | 15 | R | Accident | 0 |
| 2011 Turkish Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 19 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2011 Chinese Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 16 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 15 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2011 Australian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | R | Water leak | 0 |
| 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | 18 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 Korean Grand Prix | Lotus | 21 | 13 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 Japanese Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | 12 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 Singapore Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 16 | Engine | 0 |
| 2010 Italian Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 18 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 Belgian Grand Prix | Lotus | 13 | 16 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 14 | +3 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 German Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | R | Collision | 0 |
| 2010 British Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | 17 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 European Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | R | Collision | 0 |
| 2010 Canadian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 16 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 Turkish Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | R | Hydraulics | 0 |
| 2010 Monaco Grand Prix | Lotus | 18 | R | Steering | 0 |
| 2010 Spanish Grand Prix | Lotus | 20 | W | Gearbox | 0 |
| 2010 Chinese Grand Prix | Lotus | 21 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix | Lotus | 15 | N | +10 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 Australian Grand Prix | Lotus | 19 | 13 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix | Lotus | 21 | 15 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | McLaren | 18 | 11 | Finished | 0 |
| 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix | McLaren | 16 | 9 | Finished | 0 |
| 2009 Japanese Grand Prix | McLaren | 11 | 11 | Finished | 0 |
| 2009 Singapore Grand Prix | McLaren | 8 | 7 | Finished | 2 |
| 2009 Italian Grand Prix | McLaren | 4 | 6 | Finished | 3 |
| 2009 Belgian Grand Prix | McLaren | 15 | 6 | Finished | 3 |
| 2009 European Grand Prix | McLaren | 2 | 4 | Finished | 5 |
| 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix | McLaren | 6 | 5 | Finished | 4 |
| 2009 German Grand Prix | McLaren | 6 | 8 | Finished | 1 |
| 2009 British Grand Prix | McLaren | 13 | R | Collision | 0 |
| 2009 Turkish Grand Prix | McLaren | 14 | 14 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2009 Monaco Grand Prix | McLaren | 7 | R | Accident | 0 |
| 2009 Spanish Grand Prix | McLaren | 18 | R | Gearbox | 0 |
| 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix | McLaren | 11 | 12 | Finished | 0 |
| 2009 Chinese Grand Prix | McLaren | 12 | 5 | Finished | 4 |
| 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix | McLaren | 14 | R | Spun off | 0 |
| 2009 Australian Grand Prix | McLaren | 12 | R | Collision | 0 |
| 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix | McLaren | 5 | 7 | Finished | 2 |
| 2008 Chinese Grand Prix | McLaren | 5 | R | Hydraulics | 0 |
| 2008 Japanese Grand Prix | McLaren | 3 | R | Engine | 0 |
| 2008 Singapore Grand Prix | McLaren | 5 | 10 | Finished | 0 |
| 2008 Italian Grand Prix | McLaren | 2 | 2 | Finished | 8 |
| 2008 Belgian Grand Prix | McLaren | 3 | 10 | Gearbox | 0 |
| 2008 European Grand Prix | McLaren | 5 | 4 | Finished | 5 |
| 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix | McLaren | 2 | 1 | Finished | 10 |
| 2008 German Grand Prix | McLaren | 3 | 5 | Finished | 4 |
| 2008 British Grand Prix | McLaren | 1 (pole) | 5 | +1 Lap | 4 |
| 2008 French Grand Prix | McLaren | 10 | 4 | Finished | 5 |
| 2008 Canadian Grand Prix | McLaren | 7 | 9 | Finished | 0 |
| 2008 Monaco Grand Prix | McLaren | 4 | 8 | Finished | 1 |
| 2008 Turkish Grand Prix | McLaren | 2 | 12 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2008 Spanish Grand Prix | McLaren | 6 | R | Accident | 0 |
| 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix | McLaren | 5 | 5 | Finished · fastest lap | 4 |
| 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix | McLaren | 8 | 3 | Finished | 6 |
| 2008 Australian Grand Prix | McLaren | 3 | 5 | Finished · fastest lap | 4 |
| 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix | Renault | 17 | R | Accident | 0 |
| 2007 Chinese Grand Prix | Renault | 13 | 9 | Finished | 0 |
| 2007 Japanese Grand Prix | Renault | 11 | 2 | Finished | 8 |
| 2007 Belgian Grand Prix | Renault | 9 | 8 | Finished | 1 |
| 2007 Italian Grand Prix | Renault | 7 | 7 | Finished | 2 |
| 2007 Turkish Grand Prix | Renault | 7 | 6 | Finished | 3 |
| 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix | Renault | 11 | 8 | Finished | 1 |
| 2007 European Grand Prix | Renault | 7 | 8 | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 2007 British Grand Prix | Renault | 7 | 7 | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 2007 French Grand Prix | Renault | 6 | 15 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 2007 United States Grand Prix | Renault | 6 | 5 | Finished | 4 |
| 2007 Canadian Grand Prix | Renault | 22 | 4 | Finished | 5 |
| 2007 Monaco Grand Prix | Renault | 15 | 13 | Engine | 0 |
| 2007 Spanish Grand Prix | Renault | 8 | 7 | Finished | 2 |
| 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix | Renault | 12 | 9 | Finished | 0 |
| 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix | Renault | 11 | 8 | Finished | 1 |
| 2007 Australian Grand Prix | Renault | 13 | 10 | +1 Lap | 0 |