Question: Heikki, both drivers have been confirmed for next year. You seem to still be making progress as well with the team. Again, a certain amount of optimism I would have thought?
Heikki Kovalainen: Yeah, absolutely. I think we made more progress than the other two new teams in these last couple of years especially this year. We need to take the next step, but I think the team is making the right kind of moves back at the factory and in terms of the structure of the team to go forward so I am confident and I am optimistic that next year we will move another step forward. It has not been too far away, actually, in the last few races. I have been able to race some of the cars ahead of us so it is not that much we need anymore to join the pack and then the middle of the field and to be ahead of them we need a bigger step. Hopefully over the winter we can make another gain compared to the teams directly ahead of us.
Question: Tell us your view of the way Tony Fernandes works. He seems to be a particularly dynamic guy running goodness knows how many companies. Not only the racing team, Caterham and even Queens Park Rangers.
Heikki Kovalainen: Yeah, he is an exciting guy. He is not afraid of making decisions and taking an adventure into an unknown. I think that, quite often, is how the good leaders and successful businessmen, how they work. To make a successful business you have quite often got to do something different to what the group of people is doing and he is certainly doing that. This morning was a good example of how Tony operates. I sent him a text regarding Caterham, his car company, and I said we should do that. He just texted me back, ‘Done, tell Riad (Asmat)’ and so, the deal was done. That’s how he works and I believe he meant that. I really enjoyed working with him and it was one of the reasons I joined the team and I have enjoyed these last two years. He is a funny guy.
Question: Heikki, does the change of name to Caterham mean that your business car will be very fast but not very comfortable?
Heikki Kovalainen: I’ve been waiting for the Caterham already this year. They haven’t sent me one yet but I’m sure I will get one soon. I’m quite looking forward to taking one to Finland; I have a fantastic road leading up to my log cabin house, so I’m going to test it there, I think, when there’s a little bit of snow banks around, on studded tyres.
Question: Will you have to build your company car yourself?
Heikki Kovalainen: No, I don’t think so. I have a good car crew; they will do it for me.
Question: Heikki as a Finnish driver, your main target may be the Williams team next year?
Heikki Kovalainen: For next year, the target ahead of us doesn’t change - whoever is driving in different teams. Obviously you’re referring to Kimi at Williams; I have no idea whether that is happening or not. What’s going on there… it doesn’t matter who is driving the cars in front of us. We are targeting the cars ahead of us, joining that group and hopefully sometimes being ahead of more than one team if we have a good day. That’s all I can say. If Kimi decides to come back, I think the main difference for me will be that the parties after the races will be a little bit better.
Question: You have grown up and raced in your early careers in Europe. Now, two or three years back, we had Abu Dhabi and now India, so how is this experience with venues shifting to this part of the world, Middle East and Asia? What’s the experience of racing in these new venues?
Heikki Kovalainen: I have a good answer for this one. I much prefer to be at these kind of warm races because the golf courses are fantastic. I would happily stay near Bangkok and just race from there; the golf courses are great. I arrived here on Monday already and I’ve played four rounds of golf already, so I’m happy for this direction.
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