Kovalainen celebrates maiden podium
Heikki Kovalainen celebrated his maiden Formula One podium after surviving an action-packed Japanese Grand Prix
The Finnish rookie came home in second place behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to give Renault their first top three finish of the year.
Kovalainen had to resist the pressure from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the final laps, his compatriot finishing just a second behind after a frantic last seconds.
"It has been a difficult year for us and again this weekend, taking a gamble with the car, then this morning it was raining more than yesterday, things didn't look fantastic at start," said Kovalainen.
"But you never give up. Our strategy worked well today and the team deserves one podium this weekend. Today the pace was good, I could fight with Kimi, although I couldn't see him.
"The visor was misted up. I knew he was going to attack but I managed to keep me behind."
He added: "I think everywhere he (Raikkonen) was a bit quicker. All I could do was just stay on the track. I really wanted to take second place. I kept flat out on aqua-planning moments.
"I managed to keep it on track and that was the key," added the Finn, who secured a one-two for rookie drivers.
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