Heikki Kovalainen

Coming good

Born: 19/10/81 Nationality: Finnish Team: McLaren First GP: Australia 2007 Best result: 2nd 2007 position: 7th Previous teams: Renault

Heikki Kovalainen took a bit of time to find his feet but the Finn has emerged as a potential star of the future.

The last thing a rookie needs in his first season is an uncompetitive, unpredictable car, but that is exactly what Renault had at the start of 2007.

But once the team had got a handle on the car's inconsistent handling, he put team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella in the shade with impressive drives.

But now he faces an altogether tougher task against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.