Racing for Fortec Motorsport as it made its debut in the Championship, Kovalainen enjoyed a storming second half to the season. His third consecutive fifth place finish came after starting 11th on the grid at Croft, followed by a maiden podium at Oulton Park. Two wins followed at Silverstone International, both from pole position, before ending the year with two more podium finishes to be named Rookie of the Year.

Staying with the Renault-powered Fortec Motorsport team, Kovalainen finished third in British Formula Three before two seasons in World Series by Nissan – later to become World Series by Renault.

Second place in the Championship in 2003 was followed by a title-winning season in 2004, which contained six victories against 2005 F1 drivers Narain Kathikayan and Tiago Monteiro. Another step up in class followed in 2005 with a move to the GP2 Championship, where he finished second to fellow F1 driver Nico Rosberg.

His first season in Formula One has seen him out-perform experienced team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella when comparing qualifying, finishing position and race fastest lap. Were it not for Lewis Hamilton’s impact, Kovalainen would surely be hailed as the best F1 rookie of 2007.