Kovalainen closes on title
Heikki Kovalainen has moved one step closer to securing the World Series by Nissan championship after taking his fifth win of the season in the second race at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday

The Finn relinquished the lead just the once as the pitstops unfolded, but resumed his place at the front, eking out a confortable cushion on his nearest rival, Pons Racing team-mate Adrian Valles.
The deployment of the safety car towards the end of the race closed the field leaving a one-lap dash to the chequered flag. Kovalainen held on with ease, though, and is now odds on favourite to take the title.
Valles held onto second spot to make it a one-two for the team whoch only joined the championship this year. RC Motorsport's Narain Karthikeyan looked certain to take the final podium spot heading in for his pitstop, but a mistake dropped the Indian to fourth.
Saulnier Racing's Tristan Gommendy took advantage of the slip to take third.
Kovalainen's nearest challenger for the title, Tiago Monteiro finished seventh and now only has a slender chance of beating the flying Finn.
Felix Porteiro Epsilon Euskadi 26mins 32.107secs 17 laps
Heikki Kovalainen Pons Racing +1.261s
Enrique Bernoldi GD Racing +3.733s
Tristan Gommendy Saulnier Racing +4.106s
Narain Karthikeyan RC Motorsport +4.960s
Sergio Hernandez Saulnier Racing +14.116s
Juan Cruz Alvarez Gabord Reyco +15.164s
Jean-Christophe Ravier Epsilon Euskadi +15.957s
Heikki Kovalainen Pons Racing 39m41.762s
Adrian Valles Pons Racing +1.209s
Tristan Gommendy Saulnier Racing +1.930s
Narain Karthikeyan RC Motorsport +2.260s
Juan Cruz Alvarez Gabord Reyco +3.591s
Felix Porteiro Epsilon Euskadi +4.946s
Tiago Monteiro Carlin Motorsport +5.597s
Didier Andre KTR +12.280s
Latest news
Beating Pro cars at Daytona "cherry on the cake" for GTD-winning Aston team
Beating the GTD Pro entries en-route to winning the Daytona 24 Hours GTD class was "an extra cherry on the cake" for Heart of Racing Aston Martin driver Ian James.
Bertelli investigating more WRC opportunities after Sweden
Lorenzo Bertelli is already working to secure another World Rally Championship outing this year following a planned drive in a rented Toyota GR Yaris at Rally Sweden in February.
Everything we know about the 2023 MotoGP season: Riders, bikes, tracks and more
The 2023 MotoGP season is almost upon us, with one of the biggest shake-ups in the series’ history ahead. Find out all you need to know about calendars, sprint races, teams, bikes and more.
Steiner: Haas F1 2022 rollercoaster better than "just downs" of 2021
Gunther Steiner believes Haas’s “rollercoaster” 2022 Formula 1 campaign took “a lot of energy” out of the team, but felt grateful for the highs after “just downs” the previous year.
How the post-Renault 3.5 series is shaping up
When Renault ended its support of its 3.5 Formula, there were fears about the category's future. But as PETER MILLS explains, the rebadged FV8 3.5 series has retained an appeal to drivers
An era ended in 2015 as Renault withdrew its backing of Formula Renault 3.5. GLENN FREEMAN and PETER MILLS pick the 10 best drivers from the World Series by Renault years
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2015
The 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 season will be notable for being the last with the French company's backing but also produced a worthy champion in Oliver Rowland. PETER MILLS evaluates this year's crop of drivers
Since 2005 the World Series by Renault package has launched a host of young stars on the path to Formula 1. But there's much more to the events, both on and off the track
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2014
The field was perhaps not as strong as in the previous season, but Carlos Sainz Jr emerged as a worthy Formula Renault 3.5 champion. GLENN FREEMAN rates the top 2014 drivers
The top 10 FR3.5 drivers of 2013
There were some standout performances in the Formula Renault 3.5 title race this year, but one racer stood above all the others. GLENN FREEMAN looks back and picks out his top 10 drivers
The 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 grid guide
Last year's field was extraordinary and hard to match, but the Formula Renault 3.5 grid will still have plenty of talent this season. Glenn Freeman runs through the field ahead of this weekend's season opener
Vandoorne: future McLaren F1 star?
Landing the Fortec seat that took rising star Robin Frijns to the 2012 FR3.5 title was already a good sign for Stoffel Vandoorne. Then McLaren took him under its wing. Peter Mills tells Vandoorne's story so far
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.