Kovalainen has Hamilton in his sights

Heikki Kovalainen has vowed to step out of the shadow of fellow rookie Lewis Hamilton when the Formula One circus hits Malaysia next month.

While McLaren driver Hamilton stole the show with a third-place finish in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Renault racer Kovalainen endured a difficult weekend on his own debut.

The Finn finished a lowly 10th after making a number of errors at the Albert Park circuit, following which he was heavily criticised by Flavio Briatore.

The Renault boss turned on Kovalainen by saying: “If I said he did a good job, I would be a complete idiot.”

The 25-year-old knows he did not perform well, but has vowed to make amends at Sepang on April 8, before which there is a three-day test at the circuit next week.

“There is very little to remember from my grand prix debut – and lots to forget,” remarked Kovalainen, who has stepped into the sizeable shoes vacated by departed double world champion Fernando Alonso.

“I didn’t have a great race. There were too many mistakes, and my performance just wasn’t controlled enough.

“My feeling right now is the next race cannot get a lot worse. But I will stay positive, work hard and try to make sure I have a better weekend in Malaysia.

“I will be driving all three days of the Sepang test which will help me learn the circuit and give me a good starting point for the race weekend.

“Then my objective will be to improve in every area for my second grand prix.”

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, who at least picked up four points for finishing fifth, is confident Renault will be challenging at the front in Malaysia.

“I do not think we are the fourth power on the grid – we are the world champions,” said Fisichella.

“For sure Ferrari are one step ahead, but I would be very surprised if Renault did not come back to challenge McLaren and BMW for the next race in Malaysia.”