Lotus has confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will replace the injured Kimi Raikkonen for the final two rounds of the 2013 Formula One season, with the Finn set to return to racing after almost one year since his last grand prix for Caterham.
Kovalainen has been drafted in due to his experience in Formula One, racing between 2007 and 2012 and claiming one race win during this time. Although Lotus’ reserve driver, Davide Valsecchi, was thought to be the logical replacement for Raikkonen, the team has opted to sign a more experienced driver as it looks to pass Ferrari for third place in the constructors’ championship.
“On the one hand we had our reserve driver Davide Valsecchi – who is a talented young driver that has shown a great deal of promise – and on the other we had the opportunity to bring in a seasoned Formula One competitor in Heikki,” team principal Eric Boullier said. “Whilst we have every faith in Davide’s abilities, we are obviously involved in a tight constructors’ championship battle, so it was decided that the experience Heikki could bring to the team would be invaluable as we aim to finish the year in the best position possible.”
Lotus trails Ferrari by just eleven points in the battle for third place, with the difference between P3 and P4 being many millions of dollars in prize money.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for me to join Lotus F1 Team for the final two races of 2013,” Kovalainen said in a statement. “We’ve seen this year that the E21 is a car which can win races and finish on the podium, so I will be pushing hard for the best results possible.”
The Finn will be looking to end his run of finishes outside of the points, having failed to score any since the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix.
