Kubica crash dimmed Kovalainen’s rally hobby

Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he is no longer so keen on rallying.

Before signing with Team Lotus last year after two seasons with McLaren, the Finn insisted he would "make sure that as well as formula one I am allowed to drive rallies".

The 29-year-old has contested several minor rallies in the past, but he told motorline.cc that F1 rival Robert Kubica’s horror crash in February had dimmed his enthusiasm.

"I like to watch the rallies on TV," he said, "but right now I definitely don’t have the time to pursue it actively myself.

"We all saw what happened to Robert, and for this reason the rally driving is not in my plans at the moment," added Kovalainen.