Kovalainen sees improvements in his car

The Finn topped the time sheet in Friday's second free practice session and, on the back of his fourth place in the French Grand Prix, he is upbeat about the development progress on the MP4-23.

"Since France we have made some changes to the car, trying to help a little bit, and it seems to be working," said Kovalainen. "Already in France the car felt very strong, and all the way through the race the balance was really good.

"Little by little we have improved, and here we have carried on where we ended up in France and the test last week. I feel very happy with everything so far."

Kovalainen has had a far-from-smooth start to his career at McLaren, suffering the majority of the team's bad luck and escaping unhurt from a big crash at the Spanish Grand Prix.

He insists, however, that his confidence has not been dented at all - even though he feels he is getting stronger with each race at the track.

"I have been confident in the previous races even if I have not been at the top of the list," he said. "I have never lost confidence this season and, although there have been some difficult races and some difficult moments, we have always tried to carry on working the same and trying to improve everything.

"I knew that it would take a little time to settle 100 percent with the McLaren Mercedes team, but I think little by little we are able to chip away some time and keep improving. And I think there is a little more to come towards the end of the season. My aim is to improve the results as well."

And on a weekend when the media and fans' interest is focused on Lewis Hamilton, Kovalainen denies that he is gaining any advantage from the distractions his teammate is facing.

"No, I don't think so," he said. "I think he is coping with that really well. I don't think that affects him at all.

"It's quite natural for him that he is coming from this country and has quite a lot of interest here. For me it doesn't make any difference. I never focus on what he is doing and how he approaches his work. I'm just trying to do a good job."