Flavio Briatore has vehemently denied reports that Renault’s Finnish Heikki Kovalainen could be offloaded to Williams in the coming weeks.
Paddock rumours at Indianapolis last weekend suggested that the French squad’s team boss was so dissatisfied with Kovalainen’s form this year that he wanted to replace him as soon as possible with test driver Nelson Piquet Jr.
“In formula one, too much is always spoken,” Briatore said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ‘As’.
He insisted: “The truth is that I have never talked with Frank Williams about drivers or had dinner with him.
“We have made our decisions and we stick with them. With Heikki, we chose for the future.”
Briatore said 25-year-old Kovalainen has shown clear signs of improvement in the past few races and partly blames himself for the Finn’s rusty start to 2007.
“He drove a great race in Montreal. Obviously, he is working with the team to understand some of the errors he has made but we have to be careful, give him every support and try to improve our car.”
Briatore said Lewis Hamilton’s impressive start to his formula one career shows that a good car is crucial for any rookie.
“With the (2006) R26 Kova tested a champion car but at the beginning of this season we were initially just 15th.
“He has had a difficult car, whereas Hamilton’s (McLaren) has been perfect.
“On the other hand Lewis raced in GP2 in 2006 and Kovalainen not at all. That could have been our error that we have paid for.
“I am never content if we do not win, but at the moment it is not possible because of the machine, not because of the drivers.”
Briatore said: “The potential of Heikki and Giancarlo is quite good.
“Kovalainen has to prove it still and Fisichella has done a very good job for the car. We must work with them to improve — without pressure.”
