17 posts tagged “heikki kovalainen”
“Although I didn't collect any points in the last race, thus losing the lead in the championships, it's not the end of the world. Last year I was in a much poorer situation. Now we have to go to Montreal con and pay back,” said Kimi Raikkonen. That’s the spirit! He’s said it but let’s just see what happens this Sunday after he’s raced in Montreal. I just don’t know who among the two ace drivers of Ferrari will top the Canadian GP. Raikkonen is great but Felipe Massa has proven that he’s a lot more consistent when it comes to performance. That was proven after Massa hit the third place while Raikkonen held on for the ninth place.
The Canadian GP is only a few days away and someone’s definitely going to make a comeback. I still haven’t figured out who I’m going to put as my top podium finishers. But I have these deductions that the Ferrari team will regain their spot in first and the McLaren team will be in second, although, I really shouldn’t be counting the BMW team out, right? This Sunday’s race is definitely going to be thrilling with Raikkonen prepared to come back after that disappointing race in Monaco and Hamilton trying to protect his lead while Robert Kubica continues to hang on among the top spot both in the driver’s and the constructor’s standings.
I’m not a big fan of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. I can’t even remember how the circuit looks like. Oh well, I can’t do anything about it anyway. So, after the Formula 1 celebrated the first victory of Lewis Hamilton in Monte Carlo, the drivers are back into action. But now, they’re racing in less demanding circuit the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. I’m not saying that the circuit in Canada isn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, okay. I’m merely comparing the one in Monte Carlo to the one in Montreal. Last season’s victor was Lewis Hamilton, who was having a great rookie year. And this year, he’s boldly expressed that he’s determined to try his best to win each and every race. But I don’t think it is possible. There’s just a lot stumbling blocks, namely: Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, and Robert Kubica. Should I still be counting in Fernando Alonso? I guess I should, he’s the previous Canadian GP champion anyway before Hamilton took it from him last season.
But did you know who got the most win in Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? If you guessed Michael Schumacher, you’re right. Schumacher has the most wins in Montreal. Imagine having seven wins, he’s actually surpassed Nelson Piquet, Jacky Ickx, Jackie Stewart, Alan Jones, and Ayrton Senna. If Hamilton wins this season’s Canadian GP, he’ll definitely be standing in line with Ickx, Stewart, Jones, and Senna, who all had two wins apiece.
In the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, you’ll also find the Wall of Champions. This is actually no ordinary wall because this is the wall where infamous racers have crashed. Among the World Champions that have crashed on the Wall of Champions were Damon Hill and Schumacher. Other crashes on the final corner of the circuit also include Jacque Villeneueve, Nico Rosberg, and Juan Pablo Montoya. I just hope Hamilton doesn’t crash during race day because it’ll definitely ruin his chances. He definitely has a lead to protect especially against the infamous Ferrari team.
I’m pretty sure the Ferrari team has done a lot of preparations for the upcoming Canadian GP. Remember the team has won several times on that same circuit. And with Raikkonen’s disappointing race, he’s definitely going to make a comeback. But hey, I’m not giving out my podium finishers yet. I still have a lot of thinking to do after my previous podium finishers got busted on the previous race. I almost got it right; I just missed out on Massa. What I’m pretty sure is that the town will be painted in red.
If Lewis Hamilton ended up victorious during the Monaco GP, what happened to his teammate? I’m pretty sure Heikki Kovalainen did his best to get to the podium. But just like Kimi Raikkonen, Kovalainen’s best wasn’t enough to achieve a successful finish in Monte Carlo. The other McLaren finished the Monaco GP in 8th place. And before him was the newbie Kazuki Nakajima of the Williams-Toyota team, which is currently at the fourth spot and tied with the Red Bull-Renault team at the constructor’s standings.
The next grand prix will be on Montreal, Canada, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The winner last season was Hamilton. Well, it looks like the McLaren team has had a good history in Montreal. The Canadian GP will definitely paint a smile on Hamilton, given that he’s won last season. If his McLaren remains in shape for the next race, the ace driver will definitely have a shot for another win. Hey, I’m not counting out Kimi yet.
The key to winning a race for Heikki Kovalainen is to have a trouble-free race. Of the Formula 1 drivers, who have really caught my attention was Kovalainen. He really caught my attention during his latest accident. The way the accident happened, I wasn’t really expecting him to get out his without a broken body part. But miraculously, he was fine. He just couldn’t remember anything during the accident. I even thought he was just bluffing but when the FIA cleared him of injuries and allowed him to race, I said to myself, “He was very lucky to come out alive and uninjured after that terrible crash.”
But after that crash, he never had a great race. And this time he hopes on having a good race. Yea, it’s definitely time for him to step up. He’s fallen way behind the driver’s standings and he’s not helping his team that much to compete with the dominating Ferrari team. It’s not too late yet. There is still enough time. The McLaren team simply doesn’t have any room for error during this time of season and Kovalainen understands his part for his team. Little by little, I’m having a deduction as to who will finish victorious in the upcoming Monaco GP.
The qualifying race is about to start very soon and the result will determine who has a shot in being number one. So, does Ferrari feel any pressure at all? Team Ferrari finished at the top during the Spanish GP. That was quite expected since Felipe Massa already won in Barcelona last season. Plus, Ferrari’s triumph in Barcelona gave them the lead on both the driver’s and the constructor’s standings. But does the team feel pressure now that the midseason is about to start? I don’t think so. Ferrari is as confident as ever in winning the next GP, which will take place on one of their favorite circuits - the Istanbul Park Circuit. This confidence is probably brought by the team’s success during in Turkey for the past three seasons. “It’s a terrific circuit, demanding on the cars, but great fun to drive,” said Kimi Raikkonen.
But Ferrari is not the only team that is confident about their cars for the Turkish GP. McLaren and BMW are some of the persistent teams that are also confident in racing well in Istanbul. For the McLaren team, there is Lewis Hamilton, who is just nine points behind the Ferrari team. Hamilton’s teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, has never been so ready to race which is a bit scary because of his determination after a terrible race crash in Barcelona. As for the BMW team, you have the talented Robert Kubica. However, I don’t think BMW teammate Nick Heidfeld shares the same enthusiasm his team has. He actually thinks that Ferrari will remain at the forefront of the pack after the Turkish GP. I guess he’s referring to the numbers because no matter how you try to add 10 points to the BMW team and to their two drivers, Ferrari will still have the lead. But if both Ferrari cars failed to finish the race that is the time when the standings will drastically change.
Honestly, when you watch a F1 race, every team is almost equal when it comes to speed. Ferrari simply tried to protect their lead from championship-thirsty teams and just tried to stay ahead of the pack. If Ferrari continues to stay on top, the world championship isn’t going to be that hard to reach.
When Heikki Kovalainen experienced one of the most life-threatening accidents in the history of Formula 1, I really thought he was going to miss one or two races. After the accident, Kovalainen was brought to the hospital and stayed for a night. Doctors suspected of a concussion but he was feeling pretty he good. He just can’t remember what happened during the accident. After I found out that he was miraculously okay, I was relieved. He is just one of the determined racers in F1 that I truly admire. “It was a serious accident and I managed to walk away. I was a bit lucky, but the safety standards the FIA has been pushing worked very well," said the Finn on a news conference.
Professor Jean-Charles Piette, FIA Medical Delegate, and Dr. Cem Boneval, Chief Medical Officer, were the ones who cleared Kovalainen to race in Istanbul Park. "Everyone involved in the sport, the FIA in particular, is always working on improving safety for the drivers, but Formula One is a risky business. You know that as a driver, but you don't think about it. If you worry about things like that, you lose focus; I guess it is just not in my psyche," said Kovalainen. It is actually good to know that safety is the main priority of F1 authorities and not just the money they get from all their sponsors and the people who watch the race.
Enough of the Super Aguri talk let us talk about the upcoming Turkish GP and the chances of Ferrari getting the win. Last season’s winner was Felipe Massa, who also got the pole position. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, got the fastest lap. With these results in mind, I think the Ferrari team has a great chance of winning in Istanbul. But who knows, Lewis Hamilton wakes up during race day with confidence and a mindset to win the whole race. If Hamilton gets pole position, the entire Ferrari team should be a little scared. He's just one determined lad. And the fact that Hamilton is not the only threat that awaits in Turkey should scare the team a bit. Remember to count in teammate Heikki Kovalainen who just got from an accident in Barcelona. Count in Robert Kubica, as well.
There are still 14 grand prix to go, including the Turkish GP, and it is indeed too early to think about the world champion. A lot can happen during these 14 races. Who knows another accident like that of Kovalainen could happen again or another team withdraws from F1. Maybe we should start out guessing when the season only has three more grand prix to go. But as of now, we’ll just have to go with the flow.
Heikki Kovalainen crashed to the tyre wall of Circuit de Catalunya. I’ve said it before, right, that if I am to crash I would want to crash on a racetrack like the ones used on Formula 1 because I know help will come in a few minutes. In Kovalainen’s case, however, doctors arrived several minutes to the crash site. This means that the poor, unconscious driver got no sort of medical attention at once. Maybe there were first aid kits, but just looking at the crash Kovalainnen really needed a no first aid kits, he needed a doctor at once.
Poor Kovalainnen, he could not even remember the crash but he said he was okay. So, we will just have to believe him. It is his body anyway. I just hoped the doctors came to the crash site as quick as they could. What if there will be more accidents like this to happen in the future? The safety and the life of the F1 drivers are on the line.
It is really scary to see someone crash during a race, whether it is Formula 1 or MotoGP. I know that I prefer to crash on a race track because at least there are medical crew standing by. But the thought of crashing while you are running at high speeds is just overwhelming. The faster you go, the greater the impact will be. F1 cars are made from light-weight but highly durable materials for the safety of the drivers. And I’m impressed with how they’ve worked such magnificent safety technology because it definitely saved a lot of drivers. The latest driver to be saved was Heikki Kovalainen who crashed after a wheel rim failure. The cause of the rim’s failure is still unknown but officials are thinking of debris on the track. They probably recalled that Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton also had the same problem with their cars.
"Heikki is a very lucky boy. If that had happened in my day, he wouldn't have had a hope in hell of walking away from it,” said 3-time Formula 1 Champion, Jackie Stewart. Before Kovalainen goes back to racing, he has to get back in shape and do well at the FIA medical inspection. If he starts his shaping up now, he would definitely make it for the 2008 Turkish GP, which is take place at the Istanbul Park Circuit. The midseason of F1 is about to start, which means that real battle has for the world champion has just begun.
Heikki Kovalainen’s crash at Circuit de Catalunya is probably his worst crash ever. After being released from the hospital, the Finn said that he does not recall anything from the accident that happened during the Spanish GP. He said he only experienced a stiff neck and headaches, which I’m sure, will go away before the next grand prix. Overall, he said he is fine, so, we really have nothing to worry about him. What worry me is that he could not recall what happened? Is he experiencing amnesia? Or the accident was still blurred for him to recall it? Well, anyways, what is good is that he’s okay and he can still race.
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Formula One Updated: Nov 12, 2009
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