Heikki Kovalainen was slapped on the back by a few of his Renault mechanics after walking through the garage to the paddock, but he is unlikely to receive the same treatment by his boss.
Indeed, Flavio Briatore reportedly had some harsh criticism for the Finnish rookie in an interview with Italian TV, and even the team’s official pre-race statement said Kovalainen’s “mistakes cost him positions”.
“I made too many mistakes,” the 25-year-old was quoted as saying in the statement, “and my performance just wasn’t controlled enough.”
Heikki’s erratic form is worsened by the fact that, speaking with the media at Albert Park, fifth placed Giancarlo Fisichella insisted that the balance of the R27 was actually “quite good”.
Kovalainen, who finished tenth and a lap down, will test on all three days of upcoming Sepang test.
The Renault statement also said: “It became clear (today) that, on this circuit at least, the car was not competitive enough to make significant gains relative to other teams.”
