17/12/2007
NEWS STORY
Days after filling one of the most talked about vacancies in motorsport, Heikki Kovalainen says he is fully confident that he will be treated equally with teammate Lewis Hamilton next season.
The Finn steps into the cockpit vacated by Fernando Alonso, who parted company with the Woking outfit following a brief, but oh so acrimonious relationship, which saw the Spaniard not talking to his boss (Ron Dennis) since mid-Summer.
With Alonso now returning to the Renault fold, Kovalainen moves in the opposite direction, though he remains confident that the driver equality issue that undermined the Spaniard's relationship with the British team will not be an issue for him.
"One thing I wanted to establish before signing was that I'd be treated equally," the Finn told BBC London 94.9. "I think we can fight on the track as much as we can but off the track we can laugh about it.
"I think in the past McLaren have treated drivers equally," he added, "including this year. I don't think it will be a problem at all. We won't have any problems, I think we can help the team go forward."
Meanwhile, Hamilton's father, Anthony, who now uses the term "we" when talking about his son, said of Kovalainen's arrival: "I don't expect any issues with team-mates or other teams or drivers.
"We've all had a rough 2007," he added. "I think everybody's focus next year will be: 'Let's just have a good year whoever wins' - that's what we want.
"Heikki is a decent guy, Lewis is a decent guy, so I'm sure they'll get on well. We've known him for a long time, Lewis and Heikki raced karts against each other."