Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that he will be looking to rack up some decent points, and preferably his maiden
Formula One win, as the world championship heads for Magny-Cours next weekend.
The Finn has endured a tough time since moving to McLaren - as if his year at
Renault wasn't enough in 2007 - but shrugs off suggestions that his luck is bad, despite being denied some solid results - and potential victory in Spain - by misfortune. In France, however, he will carry McLaren's best hopes of containing rivals
Ferrari and
BMW Sauber following team-mate
Lewis Hamilton's ten-place grid penalty.
"As I've been saying all season, I'm gradually getting to grips with this car - even if the results haven't backed it up," Kovalainen insisted, "And I really enjoy Magny-Cours, so I'm looking forward to making progress throughout practice and being in a very good position for the race itself.
"I'm not really looking at the points tables at the moment. The world title is still wide open, and having an opportunity to score good points in France will only help me. I'm still absolutely determined to get my first win under my belt."
While
Bernie Ecclestone and race fans appear keen that the French GP should move to a more accessible circuit, Kovalainen is among those drivers who find the Nevers-based venue an interesting challenge to race on.
"I've always loved racing at this place," he said ahead of what could be the last
F1 event at Magny-Cours, "For a racing driver, it's a bit of a challenge as there are some very high-speed corners and a couple of fast chicanes - and you can't just throw the car into them, it requires a lot of precision. They're the sort of corners I really love."
Mercedes' vice-president of motorsport, Norbert Haug, has admitted that the team is counting on Kovalainen to produce a result at a track that has not always been kind to
McLaren.
