Kovalainen not getting carried away
Heikki Kovalainen believes Renault are still not in a position to fight for podium finishes in normal circumstances, but is confident that the team will be able to challenge BMW for top six places in the remaining two races
The Finn took the reigning champions' first podium of a difficult season when he finished second at Fuji yesterday.
He thinks Renault are in better shape than they looked in the races leading up to Japan.
"I am not getting carried away, and obviously the result today owed something to the conditions," said Kovalainen.
"But I do believe that in dry conditions at Monza and Spa, you didn't see the full potential of the car. We looked good on Friday at Fuji too, and Shanghai is a similar kind of medium downforce track.
"We cannot fight for podiums in the dry, but we don't need wet weather to get strong results. I think we can race BMW at the last two races, and do that ahead of the midfield teams.
"Hopefully we can turn our potential into results in the next three weeks to finish the year strongly."
Kovalainen felt the Fuji podium was an overdue reward for the huge efforts Renault have put in during the season as they worked to get back on the pace.
"They deserve this result: they have been used to winning championships in the last two years, so it has been a tough season, but everybody has worked incredibly hard," he said. "I am really pleased for all the guys."
He added that he also saw the result as a personal vindication, having made a faltering start to his rookie season.
"The thing I am happiest about this season is that I managed to turn the situation around," Kovalainen said.
"At the start, there were a lot of mistakes and I think people were both surprised and a bit worried for me. But I kept my head down, worked with the team, took their advice on-board, and I stayed confident that eventually it would come good.
"And now I am back to a normal situation with my driving, the results are coming, and that is a big satisfaction. I hope it shows some of my strengths and proves that when I have the opportunity to score podiums each weekend, I am mentally and physically strong enough to do it."
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