Renault driver aims to make an impression

Heikki Kovalainen has his eyes on a Formula One race drive in 2007 after confirming he will be Renault’s third driver next season.

The Finn returns to the scene of his most notable triumph to date this weekend when he defends his Race of Champions crown in Paris’ Stade de France.

Since his surprise win in the charity event last year, Kovalainen has emerged as a star in the making following a title challenge in GP2.

He lost out on that crown to Nico Rosberg, who will race for Williams in Formula One next season, but was rewarded for his performances with a Renault testing contract.

The 24-year-old admits he has plenty to learn about Formula One before he can step up to the race team, but plans on making a swift graduation.

He said: “I am very glad to be joining the world championship team and I am really looking forward to working with Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella.

“I have got a lot to learn but they are very good benchmarks so the main thing is to learn from them.

“This will be my fifth year with Renault, I have been part of the driver development programme for the last four years.

“This is another step forward for me, it is a perfect situation to continue working with them and hopefully it leads to something better in the future.”

Renault boss Flavio Briatore has already hinted Kovalainen will get his racing chance in 2007 but he confidently expects his latest young charger to contribute much next year.

Briatore spotted the potential of drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, guiding both to their first world championships, and he has high hopes for Kovalainen.

The Italian said: “We are delighted to welcome Heikki to the team as our third driver for 2006.

“He has demonstrated that he is a talented, aggressive driver in the GP2 Series, and he has impressed our engineers during his tests with the team.

“The test driver’s role will be crucial during 2006 as we develop our V8 engine through the season to defend the world championship.

“I am confident Heikki will make a valuable contribution to our success.”

Kovalainen believes his elevation to the Formula One ranks owes much to his Race of Champions win 12 months ago, when he arrived in Paris as an unknown outsider.

He beat Schumacher before clinching the Race of Champions title, memorably dancing a jig of joy on the roof of his car in celebration.

Despite his impressive record in junior series, Kovalainen feels his Paris win has been crucial.

“That’s the only thing in recent years that raised my profile,” he said. “Obviously the Renault World Series went well for me and GP2 went well up to the last few races.

“But the Race of Champions did a lot of good for me, a lot of people took notice of me.”

Tomorrow night’s event, which features head-to-head racing for individual and national honours, includes a string of top drivers.

Britain’s team is made up of Scotsmen David Coulthard and Colin McRae while Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon competes as a wild card.

Elsewhere, world rally champion Sebastien Loeb locks horns with Formula One stars such as Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Midland’s Christijan Albers.