The 2008 season was a interesting one, especially because Mclaren won the drivers championship but not the constructors, so it is a mixed situation for Ron, Martin and others.
The reason was clear when the second car struggled for grip and reliability. Lewis's car never failed with reliability, only some races the car lost grip. Heikki was clearly outpaced by Lewis Hamilton and he didn't get his car to work like Hamilton did.
But I choose to look at this situation technically, analysing how things worked at Mclaren after their disaster with Alonso.
Everybody in the paddock or with fans eyes expected Heikki to end the title race lower than team leader Hamilton, so nobody was disappointed after the season ended.
But in pre-season testing,we saw Heikki had the same speed as Hamilton so the situation looked like 2007. I think this gave Ron a warning to develop a strategy to decide how things would work in the team.
In Melbourne, Malaysia, and Bahrain, Heikki looked better, even sometimes faster, than Hamilton. Everything changed after the Spanish GP,and the accident he had there. Heikki's car had a puncture on a left rim and flew into the wall. Again Heikki had the heavier car so with a different set up than Lewis, and his car reacted negatively.
The Turkish GP was a good qualifying for Heikki, even with a heavier car he beat Lewis. I watched the practice live at the circuit and the fastest laps showed that there were not much difference between Finn and Brit.
The race was a different story, with a puncture from his compatriot Kimi. His race was off, but he passed people, especially Timo Glock in the start-finish straight of Istanbul Park, and that was spectacular. The race ended with 12th so his luck was not with him.
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about 1 month ago
Yeah yeah, the team sabotaged Heikki's car, blah blah blah, it's Lewis' evil fault, blah blah blah, Ron Dennis is the devil incarnate, blah blah blah, Heikki hates McLaren and Lewis, ad nauseum.
about 1 month ago
B I want to focus on Heikki's driving style and how it made difference on car.Yes I wrote some things about Ron and his behaviour to the second driver's. but even Mclaren's behaviour doesn't care me heikki failed with adapting his driving style to car so thats normal what we saw in that season.Others opinions are only for looking the situation in many perspectives. With Past and Present.
Also I don't think Heikki hates Mclaren only he lived what Marco Melandri lived at MotoGP.Otherwise Lewis was like Stoner there is no doubt about that.
Thank you for your critisisim.
about 1 month ago
There is simply no question that McLaren usually filled Heiki longer than Lewis, partly as a precaution against both cars being low on fuel in a safety-car scenario. There can also be little doubt that their priority was to bag a championship for Lewis.
Now it is up to Heikki. If he wants to prove he can match Lewis he will have to assert himself in the team, very difficult. That is a big part of F1 success, a driver has to use the team to support him, and not the other way around. In practice, and whatever Ron Dennis says, there has to be a #1 driver in the team of there will be two losers. What chance does Heikki have of being the main man at McLaren? None at all.
Thanks for your article Mustafa, you have worked on it and you deserve proper replies.
about 1 month ago
if a driver can't get the teams attention to him & he can't adapt to the car created by the team itz the driver's fault. it's bit harsh to say that but that's how world works. i believe results should come inspite of external difficulties & that's how greats have come to where they are. although i agree with author on the facts i have no sympathy to kovy & i don't think he's worth more than lewis & nor do i think they are in the same level. to me hamilton is miles ahead of kovy. he has been a MASTER of controlling external factors & he's had the skill behind the wheel too.
about 1 month ago
I agree with that. Hamilton, no doubt with his dad's support, has made McLaren his support system, while Heikki has been a bendy-toy.
about 1 month ago
Also I think we must remember what happened in 2007 season at Mclaren.Alonso came with 2 times world champion but after Monaco lewis complained about team orders.2007,Even Alonso felt that he was alone in the team especially after Hungary Scandal.He worked to get the team around himself but Mclaren choose the way of fighting team mates like senna-prost.Team chose a chaos against Rookie and a Champion.
So Even Alonso didn't get that power at Mclaren.Mclaren is Hamilton's team Ron developed Lewis to a champion with giving him the best cars even at Junior series so Hamilton never driven a bad car so he have a lot of power at Mclaren normally.
For Heikki,Even Alonso is a 2 times champ. didn't make impact at Mclaren against Hammy.The result was clear.Heikki only watch Hamilton to be his wingman.So 2007 shows what mclaren had in 2008.
from about 1 month ago
Alonso didnt get what he deserved because he wanted to be the ONLY man in he team he wanted Lewis to lay down and play lap dog whie he took 3 titles in a row , it aint goin down like that ...............Hell Fernando should of had an Idea of his postion in the 1st race of 07 at oZ when Lewis wiped hs ass at turn 1 , surely then he realised he was up against a more than capable rookie
Then he started getting stroppy because he wasnt getting the results he expected , so im afraid it has nothing to do wth Mclaren or Lewis , but Fernando himself ...............do u know what the conditons were forhim o rejoin Renault ? he demanded more pay than WDC Kimi Raikkonen .........thats right he wouldnt go back unless they paid him 30 million+ a season ......an insight into the kind of man he is ......... its all Me Me Me with Alonso .
from about 1 month ago
i think even ronn did not expect hamilton to be as good as he was in 2007 so ronn naturally supported alonso during the beginning of the season. but then hamilton tactfully(hungary 2007) & skillfully(monaco 2007) took things under his control. i have nothing but respect to the way hamilton got things under his control when alonso was emotional & that played into the hand of hamilton's chances. successful people in this world are uncompromising men(eg: bernie ecclesstone) i don't envy their success although i hate them.
according to race results in 2007 i can't say whether it's alonso or hamilton who is better behind the wheels but i think hamilton was waaaaaay smarter than stupid alonso in controling external factors & that to me is an essential ingedient of success not a point to envy or whine.
from about 1 month ago
mark can you plz give me url link that confirms that alonso gets 30mn a season? sorry for my ignorance. or were you trying to say that alonso asked for 30mn and then he did not get it?
my opinion is... even if he had asked for it, what's wrong with that. after all kimi has only one title and he has two and he lost the third by a whisker with a team that was not backing him after hungary 2007. you all are discounting and discrediting alonso more than you should. watch out alonso might just whack hamilton ass big time. it's too early to write off alonso as only a cry baby(yes he is in part).
from about 1 month ago
It wasnt on any site in particular isaru , it was just on the f1 grapevine that he told renault he wanted more than kimi was on if he was to rejoin , but all i was saying is it shows the character of the man to think he deserves more than raikkonen who is at ferrari , and basically it was him stamping his feet and getting is own way because basically if they didnt he wouldnt rejoin .
about 1 month ago
Heikki was just under a lot of pressure and he should have done a lot better.
His pole at Silverstone showed what a true talent he is. On pole by an absolute mile.
Having his first win as well was equally as satisfy.
Year of transition after a good year at Renault, he had to adapt to a better and faster car.
playing second fiddle to Lewis would not have helped but he must keep up with him
next year will be pinnacle.
from about 1 month ago
i think next year will be his last. he has to pave the way to the second british coming. i have not seen that "great" in kovy. i don't think he can make it past 2009. i hope i am wrong coz i love scandinavians coz i live half my time in scandinavia and people are very nice.
from about 1 month ago
Heikki Kovalainen will remain in F1 , no doubt about it . He looked like a crap driver thisa year because he was up against his champion team mate , Massa , Raikkonen and Kubica , next season im certain Kovy will coe out fighting from the word go go go at OZ
about 1 month ago
give it up forgoodness sake!!!! heikki car was sabotage becasue in actually fact he is better driver than hamilton who had the best rookie season in fomula 1 history, yeah right. It so funny how its heikki ur tlking about n not kimi raikonnen who was world champion yet got worse everytime felipe massa got better. Or even nelson piquet, as alonso did manage to snatch 2 wins. No jus poor old heikki and his apparently messed up car. if i recall thier where many times in which kovalinen in practices sed his car was running smoothly and would set fater times than lewis, so how woud that be possible if his car was worse. another jealosu fueld article on bleacher report cnt wait for the nxt won. I guess it will be something like "is lewis hamiton taking drugs in order to improve his accuracy and skill in the fomula 1 car and therfore should be banned"?!!!!!!!!!biase report!!!!!!!!!1
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