Zoom Kovalainen keen for some rally action

With F1 testing now severely restricted, the F1 stars have a lot more free time than in the past and Heikki Kovalainen is keen to try his hand at some alternative disciplines.

The Finn yet to confirm his plans for next season, although he has been linked with a move to Toyota - should countryman Kimi Raikkonen conclude a deal to replace him at McLaren Mercedes - and has confirmed he is set to make his rally debut this winter.

Kovalainen is hoping that any new Formula One contract will echo that of Raikkonen’s and permit him to compete outside of F1. "In my next contract I will make sure that as well as formula one I am allowed to drive rallies," he told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

He says he has not decided which rally to contest this winter, but a frontrunner is Finland's Arctic Lapland Rally, scheduled to take place in late January.

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM