Heikki Kovalainen: "Concentrated only on the first race"

What are your thoughts ahead of your racing debut as a driver for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team?
"I can't wait to race my first race with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, I think I've prepared well and I hope I can have a better start to the season than last year. This is my goal but I'm aware of I still have a lot of things to learn, I'm still in the learning process with the team and I know there are things I need to improve. But I'm convinced I have a solid foundation, and we're already ready to start the season."

And what are your goals for this season?
"At the moment I'm just focusing on the first race to try to do better than last year. I hope to be able to finish the race and have a good start on which to build the rest of the season. Then, during the year, try to improve every performance time. To be honest, for me it's better not to think about anything other than the first race."

Are there any particular challenges in racing with a new team for the first time?
"No, I think the most important thing is to stay calm, cool and not let anything bother you. There will be a lot of attention because this is a new team for me, but I will simply stay focused on working with the engineers and mechanics".

You have completed 18 days of testing with the MP4-23, how has development gone during this period?
"I know the team has always developed the car well before and during the season, but it's really easy to feel the changes made to the car between the first and last day of testing. We've improved the MP4-23 reasonably well and I hope that This trend continues throughout the season, with the car continually improving. We've been able to get more grip, improve the handling, the whole package is continually evolving."

McLaren Mercedes