'Kovalainen dropped because he was too fast'
Wednesday 12th December 2007

Heikki Kovalainen was reportedly jettisoned by Renault in favour of Nelson Piquet junior because Fernando Alonso was wary of the Finn's pace.

While confirmation of Alonso's return to Renault this week was not a surprise, the ousting of Kovalainen was unexpected. The youngster excelled during the second half of his debut season, comfortably eclipsing the lacklustre Giancarlo Fisichella.

Pointedly, team boss Flavio Briatore was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for Kovalainen's dismissal in his farewell to both drivers, instead praising the Finn as "a fast, intelligent and engaging driver, who is definitely capable of winning races in the future."

That capability may have proved his undoing, however, with Autosport disclosing:

'It is understood that his speed ultimately cost him the chance of staying on board at Renault, because the returning Fernando Alonso did not want a team-mate to pose the kind of challenge that he faced with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren this year.'

Hamilton, by contrast, is reported to be pressing McLaren to appoint Kovalainen as his team-mate next season rather than the undistinguished Pedro de la Rosa. Rather than be cautious of being paired with a fast team-mate, Hamilton evidently believes that such a challenge will bring out the best of his own talents - as Alonso found out to his cost last season.

Toyota are also believed to have made a bid for Kovalainen's services. Remarking to Finnish television that his ousting at Renault was "something we could expect", the driver confirmed: "Luckily there are two other options with interesting offers."