Heikki Kovalainen

Name: Heikki Kovalainen

Nationality: Finland

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• Heikki Kovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen's F1 career may have had a bad start, but by the end of 2007 he was being billed as a future World Champion.

Like many on the grid, Heikki began his motorsport career in karting back in 1991, where he remained until making his race-car debut in 2001 in the British Formula Renault championship series.

He finished the season in fourth place, earning the Rookie of the Year title after claiming two victories, two pole positions and three fastest race laps.

In 2002, the Finn moved to the British F3 Championship and finished in third place with five victories, three poles and three fastest laps to his names. Once again, he also clinched the Rookie of the Year award.

A year later and he was off to the World Series by Nissan where he finished in an impressive second place. The following season, 2004, he claimed the title and was rewarded with his first F1 test.

The year also ended with an impressive victory in the 'Race of Champions' event held in Paris, Kovalainen doing his profile no harm at all by beating Michael Schumacher along the way.

In 2005, Heikki moved to GP2, the feeder series for F1. A good start to the year saw him take easy victories in the opening rounds with ease, but he eventually lost the Championship to Nico Rosberg.

The Finn had nonetheless demonstrated sufficient skill to secure a test driver role with the Renault F1 team for the 2006 season and, after an impressive season acting as the team's official third and reserve driver, he was promoted to race driver for the 2007 campaign.

Very much thrown in at the deep end, Heikki faced a tough baptism of fire, partnering the experienced Giancarlo Fisichella and racing for a team that had won the World titles for two years running.

However, Renault were unable to produce a car capable of winning races never mind titles in 2007 and Heikki's debut suffered as a result.

While fellow rookie Lewis Hamilton was claiming all the praise, Kovalainen's first race, the Australian Grand Prix, saw him lambasted by team boss Flavio Briatore.

He came back though at his second grand prix, the Malaysian GP, to score his first World Championship point. And although that was followed by a disappointing race in Bahrain, he was back on form in Spain, outperforming Fisichella.

Points were again available in the North American races where he crashed in qualifying for the Canadian GP only to fight his way through to field in the race to finish fourth.

The United States GP earned him another four points before a disappointing start on Renault's home soil at the French GP that included a collision with Jarno Trulli saw another point-less result.

However, the second half of the season saw Kovalainen consistently on the pace, with a string of seven consecutive points-finishes culminating with a runner-up spot at the Japanese GP.

While most of his rivals got into trouble one way or another in the wet at Suzuka, Heikki did not and held off Kimi Räikkönen to take his first podium in F1.

The Finn eventually finished the season seventh in the Drivers' standings, nine points ahead of Fisichella and, with Alonso's fraught time at McLaren ending ahead of schedule, Heikki has now landed one of the most coveted seats for 2008 alongside Hamilton.

Rarely seen without a smile on his face, it is anticipated that relations between the personable Kovalainen and Hamilton will be somewhat better than those experienced within the McLaren camp last season.

And, up against the team's golden boy on the track, it will be fascinating to see whether or not the Finn can match the Englishman.