McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has told Heikki Kovalainen he must improve if he is to secure a new contract.
The Finn has had a disappointing season, scoring points in just three of his 10 races to date, and there is speculation that he will be released at the end of the season as his two-year deal comes to its end.
And while Whitmarsh is happy with Kovalainen’s efforts, he says results will need better to results if he is to ensure he remains on the team. SkySports
Comparisons are always made between teammates. Lewis Hamilton has collected points on four occasions so far, and prior to his Hungarian Grand Prix victory last month, the reigning champion’s best performance had been a fourth-place result in Bahrain followed by a string of five no-score finishes.
Kovalainen has scored points on three occasions, his best result being fifth places in China and Hungary.
“Heikki is doing, as a team player, a fantastic job in this team,” declared McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said. He however pointed out that there was room left for improvement on the track. Yahoo! Eurosport
“He knows and we know that he has got to a better job during the race; he’s got to be more consistent with his race pace on long runs. So he’s working hard to do that.
“We’re not talking to any other drivers at the moment. We want to see Heikki be successful in this team but at the same time we are obliged to have as competitive drivers as we can, so he knows what he’s got to do.
“He’ll be working hard and who knows? I think this weekend he can do a good job.”
Whitmarsh, however, claimed the team has not spoken to any driver about the second seat at the team as of yet – intriguingly adding that he believed that the driver market would soon be blown open in any case as he expected Fernando Alonso to move to Ferrari next season. ITV
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