Fernando Alonso may be regarded as one of the finest Formula One drivers ever but, in replacing him at McLaren, Heikki Kovalainen has more than just an excellent driver's shoes to fill in 2008.
As if coming up against Lewis Hamilton - the most impressive rookie ever to grace the sport - was not enough, the 26-year-old Finn is expected to get on with him as well.
 | Lewis and I share our feelings and feedback all the time... the relationship is going really well and we won't have any problems |
The 2007 season was an exciting, hard-fought and controversial season all at once - and few stories typified it more than the battle for superiority between Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren.
Hamilton's startling rookie year saw him trouble Alonso on the track more than the Spaniard expected, and by the season's end the pair's relationship had broken down to such an extent that they were barely speaking to each other.
"I'd be delighted if I didn't carry on with Hamilton," claimed Alonso towards the end of the campaign, while the Briton said the two-time world champion had shown him "how not to behave as an F1 driver".
Alonso got his wish. He has since moved back to Renault, to be replaced at McLaren by Kovalainen - a Finn whose own fine debut season would surely have warranted further coverage but for Hamilton's exploits.
However, it is not on his skills as a driver that commentators are now focused, it is on his relationship with Hamilton.
"I think we're very well suited as team-mates," the Finn told BBC Sport. "We are working well together in testing and we both want to push the team forward together.
"Since I've been here, I've felt comfortable with this team. Everyone's working with me, helping when and where I need it, and I like the way it has worked.
| 606: DEBATE Andrew Benson - BBC Sport |
"Lewis and I share our feelings and feedback all the time - we just want to enjoy F1 and have a good season. It (the relationship) is going really well and we won't have any problems."
But, while the pair look to have hit it off in pre-season testing, how they get on for the rest of the campaign may depend on to what extent Hamilton is McLaren's "preferred" driver.
The 23-year-old Briton was pipped to the title in the last race in Melbourne last season by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, but he was the undoubted star of the season.
McLaren supremo Ron Dennis first signed him as a 12-year-old, backed him to step up to be one of his main drivers when many expected a 'big-name' signing, and apparently sided with the Englishman when relations between Hamilton and Alonso were at an all-time low last year.
In short, Hamilton is Dennis's baby.
McLaren's stated policy on team orders is public and very specific - they do not issue them other than in the most exceptional of circumstances such as a championship-decider.
But while they insist that they let their drivers prove out on the track who is the best, getting equal machinery does not necessarily mean their drivers get equal treatment.
| McLAREN'S PAIRING Lewis Hamilton
DOB: 07/01/1985
Nat: English
Grand Prix: 17
Highest race finish: 1 (x4)
Highest grid position: 1 (x6) Heikki Kovalainen
DOB: 19/10/1981
Nat: Finnish
Grand Prix: 17
Highest race finish: 2 (x1)
Highest grid position: 6 (x3) |
David Coulthard, for example, always felt Dennis favoured Mika Hakkinen through their years together at McLaren - and he has plenty of evidence to back him up.
And while orders on the track might not usually be in McLaren's make-up, there are a lot of ways in which a driver can be made to feel inferior to team-mates, as Alonso will testify.
However, Kovalainen, who insisted before joining McLaren he would not not sign for a team as "number two", says the signs are good.
"I would not have come to the team if I didn't think I had an equal chance to fight for the championship and I have that at McLaren," he said.
"I have exactly the same opportunity that Lewis has and then it's up to me to build a relationship with the team and be as strong as I can.
"That's to start with, at least, then we see what happens. But I absolutely have equal opportunities."
Hamilton supports this view, saying: "I don't want any advantages or head starts. We should be equal and I want Heikki Kovalainen to have the exact same opportunities.
"We both obviously want to beat each other but in doing that we will try and do the best job we can individually and also to push the team forward."
And because of that, Kovalainen is confident he and Hamilton can maintain a good relationship and still push for individual honours: "Lewis and I can fight on the track as much as we are able to, but off it we can laugh about it.
 The McLaren drivers are enjoying a good relationship off the track |
"I don't have any concerns about going up against Lewis - or Alonso or Raikkonen.
"If I ever want to win the championship, I can't be afraid of anyone and I need to beat them all. Given the right package, I think I could fight for it."
Whether that package is the McLaren remains to be seen.
Former champion Alain Prost told Italy's Autosprint magazine last month that Kovalainen is "a tough cookie" who "definitely looks dangerous for the title".
And Hamilton himself expects a tough battle from the Finn: "I know that he is going to push me all the way... when we get to the first race we perhaps still won't know just how much we are going to be pushing each other.
"But I have no doubt in my mind that Heikki's going to be one of the quickest guys there."
However, much of Kovalainen's success may come down to the performance of his McLaren.
Reports from testing suggest the new F2008 Ferrari car is hugely impressive, with Toyota driver Jarno Trulli declaring: "They're at least half a second faster a lap, even compared to McLaren. The championship looks over before it has started."
But Kovalainen played down the talk, claiming it's too difficult to say who is faster from testing and adding: "You just keep track of your own car and ensure you are making progress.
"We can improve our car - we must improve our car - but we're on track. We are moving forward, which is the most important thing at this stage, and we will keep working."
And nor does the Finn believe this year will see a two-team race, with "Renault, especially with Fernando, BMW Sauber and, also, Red Bull" tipped by him to have good pace.
| I'm trying to be better physically and mentally and eradicate the poor start I had last time |
However, Kovalainen believes that he can make strides in only his second season, with his main priority being to get off to a better start than last year.
Errors in qualifying and races blighted the early part of Kovalainen's campaign, but the Finn found his feet as the season progressed, finished seventh in the championship, and impressed many when he held off the challenge of eventual champion Raikkonen to claim second in the rain in Japan.
"I will approach this year a little differently - I'm trying to be better physically and mentally and eradicate the poor start I had last time," he said.
"I don't think I was physically and mentally ready going into Australia in 2007, but this year I can't wait to get out on track in Melbourne.
"My goal is to win the world championship, but I need to take my first pole position and win my first race before I can start dreaming of becoming world champion.
"I will begin the process with trying to have a better start to the season than I did last year but every competitive racing driver believes they can win and I'm no different.
"That means finishing ahead of Lewis and the other 20 drivers - that's the way it is."
Renault boss Flavio Briatore famously described Kovalainen as the "anti-Alonso" at his unveiling at the French team in 2007.
And McLaren will be hoping his words rings true - off the track, anyway - this season.
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