Kovalainen tipped to get stronger

"In all he has been with us for 11 weeks and he's just getting stronger and stronger," said Whitmarsh. "The feeling within the team is that we still haven't seen the best of him.

"Lewis [Hamilton] thinks as much, too, and that's good because he knows he'll have to raise his game. Both Heikki and Lewis have learned a lot in the 20 Grands Prix they've done.

"They are deeply ambitious - and I know teams always claim their drivers love each other - but everyone at McLaren can sense the mutual admiration that exists between them.

"They want to beat each other but they are open and fair, so there are lots of positives."

Kovalainen, who started and finished fifth at Sakhir, also recorded the fastest lap of the race as he did in Australia and could well have posed more of threat to the two BMWs had he not been hampered by a flat spot in his first stint.

Whitmarsh added that the fact that the Finn set his fastest lap during his final stint on the medium tyres suggested that the team may have chosen the wrong strategy.

"For a reasonable proportion of the race his car was wounded by a very bad flat spot, after he locked up on the opening lap," said Whitmarsh. "By the time he pitted his front right tyre was worn down to the canvas.

"For his second stint, with hindsight, we were maybe on the wrong type of tyre, but we went long and heavy just to try something different. It didn't benefit us, but there was no harm done either.

"Heikki set the fastest lap, which added a positive sheen but also underlined that we didn't unleash the car's full potential throughout the race. It's a further illustration that you have to get every element of the weekend absolutely right."

Whitmarsh believes it is only a matter of time before Kovalainen wins a race in 2008, but with the first three events of the year boasting three different winners, the McLaren man reckons no driver may have things his own way this season.

"I'm convinced Heikki will reach the top step of the podium this year and the BMW drivers look strong, too - we just need to respond and make sure we beat them in Spain," he said. "We have slightly underperformed for two races, but both championships are still very close.

"Three teams and six drivers are all within a handful of points of each other - I don't think anybody is going to run away with either of the titles this year."