When Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren in 2007 alongside Heikki Kovalainen, few expected the British driver would ultimately dominate his Finnish teammate throughout the season. Kovalainen had impressed racing insiders in his debut year, but Hamilton went on to secure the championship while his teammate managed just one victory.
Now, reflecting on that intense partnership, Kovalainen has explained the specific technical skill that set Hamilton apart during that campaign, a quality that would define the British driver’s entire Formula 1 career.
Heikki Kovalainen Reveals Reason Behind Lewis Hamilton’s Success
Hamilton entered the 2008 season with clear intentions of reclaiming the championship he had narrowly lost the previous year. Racing alongside Kovalainen, who had established himself as a competitive force at the front of the grid, Hamilton needed to demonstrate something exceptional to justify expectations of his dominance. During the opening races, the gap between the two drivers appeared smaller than expected, but one critical area of driving technique soon revealed the true difference in their abilities.
Kovalainen demonstrated a competitive pace in certain aspects of racing. “I was often able to match Lewis in the high-speed corners, which was a strong area of mine,” he explained when discussing his performance relative to his teammate. The high-speed sections came naturally to the Finnish driver, yet when the focus shifted to the braking zones, the performance gap became immediately apparent.
“His braking performances were incredible. I was never really able to match his braking performance,” Kovalainen acknowledged. What distinguished Hamilton’s braking technique was not merely the depth of his late braking, but his exceptional precision in executing it. “He was able to brake later and stop the car at the same point,” he noted, describing a skill that separates championship drivers from the rest of the field.
Heikki Kovalainen on being in teammates with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren:
“I was often able to match Lewis in the high-speed corners, which was a strong area of mine, but his braking performances were incredible. I was never really able to match his braking performance – he was… pic.twitter.com/oA3gKyMvXZ
— sim (@simsgazette) November 3, 2025
A driver capable of braking later into a corner while maintaining the same stopping distance possesses a tangible advantage throughout every lap. Such drivers gain time on the straights while sacrificing nothing through the corners, a combination that represents genuine championship-winning potential.
Hamilton concluded 2008 with 98 points and the world championship, while Kovalainen accumulated 53 points and a single victory. It was Hamilton’s braking mastery that provided the foundation for this dominance.
One Small Thing Made the Difference Between Kovalainen and Hamilton
Kovalainen possessed genuine speed and commanded respect from experienced professionals in the motorsport world. Before the 2008 season, Nigel Stepney, a former Ferrari mechanic, had identified Kovalainen as “the real deal” following his performances in GP2. This was not a case of an inferior driver being outclassed; instead, it represented a matchup between two capable competitors where one simply possessed superior overall abilities.
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He remained at McLaren before moving to other teams, eventually leaving Formula One in 2013 with just that single Grand Prix victory. Hamilton, on the other hand, secured seven world championships throughout his career, tying Michael Schumacher’s record.
Yet Kovalainen’s assessment of what separated Hamilton remains particularly insightful. Success at the highest level demands more than just talent; it requires determination and commitment to master every aspect of the sport.