Kovalainen boosted by driving style change

The Finn has scored points in the last five races to edge ahead of teammate Giancarlo Fisichella in the championship table, and thinks that the improvement has come thanks to a calmer approach behind the wheel.

"At the beginning of the season I was attacking the corners a bit too much," explained Kovalainen. "I had a lot of confidence last year in the Michelin tyres and in the R26 car. The combination gave a lot of confidence.

"You could drive it anywhere you wanted and brake where you wanted. It always turned into the corner, and the lap times were always competitive. I have calmed down a little my driving style this year."

Kovalainen said he did not realise his style was causing him any problems until the R27 became more competitive.

"It probably would have been better to realise it in Melbourne. But I didn't realise it until we got our car a little bit better," he said.

"The combination of a lack of grip at the front of the car and the driving style was causing a lot of mistakes and inconsistent performances. I think when we improved the aerodynamics at the front of the car, that also helped me to realise the problem.

"When we got the front of the car working better I realised that I needed to calm down my driving style a little bit and look after the tyres a bit better.

"It is actually quicker that way, so obviously if I already realised that in Melbourne I would have been able to change it in Malaysia, but I didn't realise it."