Kovalainen produced a fantastic display to finish second at Fuji

Kovalainen saw off a spirited challenge from fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen to come home second behind Lewis Hamilton.

He said: "This has been a rollercoaster year. Things didn't look good for us as we took a gamble on the car in the hope that it would be drier.

"But our start was good and we came through - the team deserved a podium."

The result was Kovalainen's best this campaign, and follows a year in which Renault have failed to live up to the performance of the previous two years, when they took back-tp-back drivers and constructors titles with Fernando Alonso.

And it was an even more remarkable result for the Finn, given he beat team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, who is usually adept at racing in the wet.

With the wet conditions forcing the safety car to lead the race off for 19 laps, Kovalainen admitted poor visibility made it even more difficult for him to hold onto his position.

"I couldn't see in my mirrors because they were so steamed up, but I knew Kimi [Raikkonen] was pushing me hard in the final stages," he said.

"I was desperate for second and managed to see it through and so I'm obviously delighted."

The result could go a long way to sealing Kovalainen's future at Renault, with the team yet to confirm their racers for the 2008 season.

"We have a lot of potential in our team. I'm sure we can come back to winning ways and hopefully I will stay with them next year, because I believe they're going to be strong again," he said.