Why Kovalainen got the Lotus drive

At last year's United States Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen claimed one of the least enviable records in Formula 1 by notching up his 60th consecutive race without a point.

Eclipsing the record previously held by Piercarlo Ghinzani was no cause for celebration, especially as the writing was already on the wall for Kovalainen's future. Yet 12 months on he goes into the 2013 running of the race with a car eminently capable of ending his 61-start pointless streak, allowing the affable Finn to score for the first time since the 2009 Singapore GP.

The chance to substitute for Kimi Raikkonen in the final two races of 2013 could not have come at a better time. Kovalainen has kept his hand in with six outings for Caterham as third driver (a role he said "doesn't interest me" this time last year).

That experience has been essential in giving him the nod over the other available contenders.

By returning to the grid for two races, he at least keeps himself in mind as a 'current' race driver at a time when he's at risk of sliding into grand prix oblivion.

With Nico Hulkenberg - who would have done his usual outstanding job - coming close to agreeing a switch before backing out, Kovalainen's main rival for the role was reserve driver Davide Valsecchi. While many have said the decision to take Kovalainen was a no-brainer, it's important not to overlook the strength of Valsecchi's claim.

While he is a rookie, you can make a case that the 2012 GP2 champion would be the best choice in a situation where there are no fully-formed solutions. He knows the car, he's been with the team all season, so is familiar with the people, and will be up to speed with the way things work.

His mileage in the car, harnessed to the vast databank of knowledge from sitting in on debriefs, will all help him move along the learning curve far faster than others would. That counterbalances his relative inexperience.

Kovalainen last raced in Brazil last year © LAT

On top of his two days for Lotus this year, he did a day for the team in last year's rookie test, a day pre-season for Caterham (then also called Lotus) in 2011 and 43 laps for HRT in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

He also turned 18 laps for Caterham in free practice in Malaysia two years ago. That adds up to more than 1500km of running.

That, combined with the fact that he's had some mileage in a two-year-old car this year, adds up to enough real-world experience to ensure that, to quote the man whose seat he is filling, Valsecchi knows what he's doing.

Certainly, there would be no reason to expect him not to score points, and he has the edge over any driver not currently in active service.

But the reason Lotus considered him too big a gamble to get the nod over Kovalainen lies in what happened in the Silverstone test earlier this year. There, Valsecchi remained out far longer than planned and failed to spot his pitboard several times.

It's an unusual error for one so experienced in racing, but perhaps forgivable for a rookie and, in most circumstances, would remain nothing more than an amusing footnote to a testing outing.

But what the team didn't deem forgivable is risking throwing away points at the time when it's in a battle for second, third and fourth in the world championship that will make a vast difference to its income in 2014.

Unfortunately for Valsecchi, small things like that have counted against him, while the wider circumstances of the dearth of testing also mean that he was facing an uphill task. Chances are, he'd be fine. But there was not enough data to be sure. So the door was open to alternatives.

As for Kovalainen, he's a well-known quantity. During his spell alongside Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2008-09, he struggled. There were reasons, as in '09 in particular there were times when he was driving an older-specification car as McLaren rushed to troubleshoot its problems. But Kovalainen offers no excuses about his failure to capitalise on a golden opportunity.

At Caterham, which he joined in its guise of Lotus Racing in 2010, he rebuilt his reputation very effectively. The car was not good enough to finish in the top 10, hence that unenviable pointless record that does not fairly reflect his qualities as a driver.

But he certainly regained some of the lustre he'd lost in the paddock and would, without doubt, have been on this year's grid but for the necessity for so many drivers to bring money to teams.

Taken together, Kovalainen's experience of the team back in 2007, his consistency, level-headedness, experience of current F1 machinery (albeit through limited outings for Caterham) and 109 grand prix starts earned him the nod over Valsecchi. But it'll not be easy for the Finn. It never is when thrown in at the deep end in a modern grand prix car.

Valsecchi drove for Lotus in the young driver test © LAT

Key to his success will be the tyres. There's no reason to expect that he won't be able to set decent laptimes once familiar with the car, even though it's unlikely he'll be able to reach Romain Grosjean's level.

But the biggest challenge will be qualifying, where getting the tyres perfectly prepared before nailing it is key.

Come the race, he has the racecraft to do a good job, but again the big question mark will be over tyres.

There were times at McLaren where he struggled with rear-tyre management and given he will already be at an experience disadvantage, this could be a problem. He'll be hoping that the Lotus's natural generosity towards its rubber will counterbalance any shortcomings when it comes to this.

If not, and he finds himself in the crowded battle for minor points, things might get very difficult.

Ultimately, while there's every chance Valsecchi would have been able to score points - after all, he's not a GP2 champion without reason - Kovalainen can legitimately be regarded as a better bet provided he gets on top of the car.

What Lotus needs from him is two solid weekends' work in support of Grosjean. The Finn's professionalism, experience and ability should ensure he can do that.

As for what it means for the future, it's difficult to say. There is a Lotus seat up for grabs next year, and there's no question that strong performances in the USA and Brazil will have to force him into the reckoning, even if he would remain at best an outside contender.

As for other opportunities, most still require backing he does not have. But with Caterham team owner Tony Fernandes claiming to be considering Kovalainen for a race seat, strong performances for Lotus will do his case no harm at all.

But the bottom line is he's been chosen for this stand-in role as he's regarded as a good, accomplished, solid pair of hands and it's going to be difficult to upgrade that perception unless he does something remarkable on track.

Whatever happens, Kovalainen should at least end the pointless run that stretches back so far. And if he can do that with two top-10 finishes, Lotus will be very pleased with their decision.

From the team's perspective, arguments about who deserves it, who should be given a chance, is irrelevant. This is all about scoring as many points as possible.

As for Valsecchi, it's another case of wrong place, wrong time for the Italian who had the misfortune to win GP2 in an era when it didn't guarantee passage into an economically healthy F1, and has now had a close brush with Raikkonen's seat three times this season.

He has the raw material to do the job and some of the requisite experience, but Lotus simply could not be sure enough to risk it all on a rookie. And that tells you a lot about the problem of a lack of running for aspiring F1 drivers in contemporary grand prix racing.