McLAREN chief executive Martin Whitmarsh has revealed the team are still working with Heikki Kovalainen "to extract his full potential", writes IAN PARKES.
Kovalainen has endured his fair share of problems this season but has still been in a position to improve on a record that has seen him finish on the podium just once from the ten grands prix so far.
Whitmarsh is adamant Kovalainen, who is current
ly 30 points behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings, is "a brilliant young racing driver".
"His pass of Robert Kubica at Hockenheim at the German Grand Prix reminded anybody who needed reminding that he has all the speed and skill to be battling at the front," said Whitmarsh.
"But there's no magic in Formula One and we still need to work with Heikki to extract his full potential.
"At Hockenheim he didn't get the best out of himself or the package and we need to work on how we fine-tune the car's set-up and how Heikki is involved in that process.
"He was at the McLaren Technology Centre last week to carry out his pre-race programme.
"He is working hard with his engineers to find a set-up that allows him to maintain his speed throughout a race without suffering from some of the rear-end nervousness he has encountered recently."
The F1 roadshow is in Hungary this weekend at the tight, twisty Hungaroring circuit, which will hardly do Kovalainen any favours if he has recently been struggling with the rear of his car. But Whitmarsh is convinced the team will again be strong as they look to maintain their form which has resulted in Hamilton winning the last two races in Britain and Germany.
"We won in Hungary last season and travel to Budapest confident that we have strengthened the weaknesses of our package.
"Nonetheless, we are fully prepared for a battle."
The full article contains 323 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
