Valsecchi disappointed with Lotus’s decision to choose Kovalainen
Davide Valsecchi expressed disappointment over the decision by the Lotus team to replace Kimi Räikkönen with Heikki Kovalainen when he himself was available and was looking forward to replacing the 2007 world champion for the last two races of the 2013 season.
Following Kimi Räikkönen’s withdrawal, the Lotus team has decided to hire Heikki Kovalainen for the final two Grand Prix of the season.
The Finnish driver, released by Caterham, was favored over Davide Valsecchi, the reserve driver for the Enstone team, who hoped to use this opportunity to prove his worth at the wheel of an F1 car. But the Italian will not have this opportunity, and he did not hide his disappointment in Austin.
« It’s a hard blow for me. From a sporting point of view, it’s a tragedy. It makes me angry to have lost the battle to Kovalainen, who is not a great champion, nor even an active driver; his last results date back five years, » Davide Valsecchi told Italian media in Austin.
If he acknowledges that Lotus could have chosen another driver, he wouldn’t have bet on Kovalainen: If they had taken Hülkenberg, I could have understood, even Maldonado, but there … I was convinced that from a motivation and desire to succeed standpoint, the team would have chosen me and I would have had my chance.
Valsecchi believes that his lack of experience may have been a drawback, but he remains optimistic for Sao Paulo: « Maybe I lack experience, but how do you gain it? Nevertheless, things change quickly in F1, so I won’t give up and I’ll be ready if they need me in Brazil. »
Eric Boullier, the director of the British team, reaffirmed that he had full confidence in his Italian driver but given the current battle in the constructors’ championship, Kovalainen’s experience was an undeniable asset: We found ourselves in a difficult situation regarding who should take the wheel in Austin and Sao Paulo. On one hand, we had our reserve driver Davide Valsecchi – who is a talented young driver showing promising things – and on the other hand, we had the opportunity to bring in a competitor with Heikki. While we have full confidence in Davide’s abilities, we are involved in a tight battle in the constructors’ championship, so it was decided that the experience Heikki could bring to the team was invaluable.
