Kovalainen: Building for the future

Heikki Kovalainen has spoken of his immense joy at racing for a team that bares the Lotus name, determined to do it proud.

Kovalainen was present at Friday's launch of the new T127, which was unveiled to the world in front of 400 guests in London.

The team, which is owned by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, is one of four newcomers to the Formula One grid and Kovalainen is determined to ensure they are the best of the newbies.

"I am so impressed with what the team has achieved so far, to be honest the guys have really exceeded by expectations," said the former McLaren driver.

"It has been a fantastic effort from the whole team and when I went to see Mike and Tony for the first time, there were four people at the reception, I said to them 'Are you sure it will happen before Bahrain?' And they said fine.

"I am really pleased to be driving for Lotus because I think this really was the best opportunity for my future; this is not a one year project.

"I cannot wait until next week when we start driving it and get down to business."

The Finn, though, concedes that bringing the Lotus name back into Formula One puts a whole heap of pressure on the shoulders of the team and drivers.

"There is a lot of pressure for all of us to race under the Lotus name but I am really proud to add my name to a list of such exceptional drivers such as Mansell and Senna."

Kovalainen's sentiment was echoed by his team-mate Jarno Trulli, who is eagerly anticipating the chance of building a solid foundation for the fledgling outfit.

"It's a big responsibility to drive a car with the name Lotus but I am really looking forward to it," said the Italian. "I am very proud and happy to have secured such a good seat for this season.

"We are looking to the future. As a young team we cannot expect to go out there and be on pole position straight away. It's a massive job to build a car from nothing."

Source: Kovalainen: Building for the future - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com