Heikki Kovalainen targeting higher race finish at Monaco

The Monte-Carlo street circuit, which has played host to the Monaco Grand Prix since 1929, is notorious for springing up surprises when the F1 fraternity moves into the principality. Heikki Kovalainen is hoping this will help Caterham achieve a competitive result, after the Finn finished 14th in the race last season.

In 1982, it seemed no driver wanted to win the Monaco Grand Prix, as every driver who took the lead in the closing laps either spun or retired. Eventually Riccardo Patrese came through to win, even though the Italian driver spun and stalled his Brabham at the Loews hairpin several laps before. In 1996, it seemed no driver wanted to finish the race, as only three drivers were left running in a historic race which saw Olivier Panis win his only Grand Prix, followed home by David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert.

Heading to the 71st running of the historic and glamorous Monaco Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen hopes that the magic of Monaco will help Caterham finish higher than they have done so in their career so far. If the unpredictability of the 2012 season continues, Caterham could well take home their first ever World Championship points, however nothing is certain in this topsy-turvy “new” world of Formula 1.

"Monaco’s the race everyone in F1 wants to win, and it’s not just a famous F1 race, it’s one of the biggest annual events in the world.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “On track it’s one of the races where the pack bunches up a bit and that might give us a chance to do something special. Last year I finished 14th, one of our higher finishes of the season, so hopefully we can improve on that this year. We have KERS this year and a car that has good race pace, and as our car is slightly easier on the tyres than some of the teams ahead, maybe that will help us achieve a high race finish."

With Pirelli offering the new super-soft (red) tyre to the teams this weekend, alongside the softs (yellow), tyre degradation coupled with the tight and twisty turns of Monaco could well reward the likes of Caterham throughout the weekend.

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