The tumultuous 2014 ‘silly season’ is taking yet another twist, as Heikki Kovalainen’s hopes of returning full-time next year fall dramatically.<\/p>\n
Mere days ago, the Finn was a powerful new player in the speculative hot-bed of the driver market — on the verge of signing for Caterham, and signed up by Lotus for the last two races of 2013 to replace Kimi Raikkonen.<\/p>\n
But, despite some flashes of speed, those two races later, 32-year-old Kovalainen’s hopes are dwindling, after he failed to score a single point in the otherwise highly competitive black and gold Lotus.<\/p>\n
“I think the car is great,” he said on Sunday, “but I was not able to unlock the pace.<\/p>\n
“I was anticipating it would be easier to come back and race competitively,” added Kovalainen.<\/p>\n
“These two races were not the best,” he is quoted by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.\u00a0 “I knew it was a bit of a risk (replacing Raikkonen) but I did not think it would be so difficult.”<\/p>\n
The Enstone based team therefore finishes the season only fourth in the constructors’ championship, millions in crucial prize-money behind its foes Mercedes and Ferrari.<\/p>\n
The wilder rumours had suggested Kovalainen had became a late contender to race full-time for Lotus in 2014, but now even his hopes at Caterham appear faded.<\/p>\n
Marcus Ericsson, a Swedish GP2 driver, smiled on Sunday as he refused to comment on sweeping paddock speculation that he will be racing a green car in 2014.<\/p>\n
Caterham may now be looking for supplementary income, after finishing behind its back-of-the-grid rival Marussia for the lucrative final spot in the top-ten paid positions in the constructors’ championship.<\/p>\n
“At the moment I do not have an agreement (for 2014),” said Kovalainen.\u00a0 “I can only say that it’s looking good.<\/p>\n
“Caterham is still the most likely option for me,” he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.<\/p>\n
“Nothing has been signed yet, but I don’t think these two races with Lotus changes things too much,” he added.<\/p>\n
Disgruntled Lotus reserve driver Davide Valsecchi, meanwhile, thinks Austin and Brazil is evidence that Lotus made the wrong choice.<\/p>\n
“I told the team it would have been better to choose my heart and my motivation than the experience of Kovalainen,” he said on Twitter.<\/p>\n
“I’m really sorry they didn’t do it.”<\/p>\n
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