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Written by:
RACER Staff
http://www.racer.com
05/08/2008 - 01:20 PM
Istanbul, Turkey
Kovalainen: none the worse for wear. (LAT photo) ยป More Photos
Q: Heikki, good to see you and glad that you have passed the test this morning. Can you give us some idea of what you had to do?
HK: It’s basically a test all the drivers have to go through when they start their career in F1. When I started last year in Australia I did the baseline test. It is a combination of tests and calculations. Basically they check how your brain and body is working and the reactions. I redid the test this morning and improved the score, so the impact seems to have a good effect.
Q: Have you noticed how you have been getting better since the accident itself?
HK: Yes. Obviously the Monday morning after the accident I had a little bit of a headache. But since then it has improved quite rapidly. It was on Thursday when I got out of Spain and on Saturday I started normal training in Finland. I went to a sports institute that is doing work with McLaren and together with our team doctor I went over there and started to prepare for this race. Since then everything has been normal and I am looking forward to hopefully a strong weekend and to getting back in the car and I feel 100 percent.
Q: Have you seen it on television and what has been your reaction?
HK: I have seen it on television. It was a serious accident I managed to walk away from. I think I was a little bit lucky but also must stress that all the safety standards
Q: The first moment when you were stuck in the tires, did you have the tires on your head, do you remember that? You were stuck in the car – or don’t you remember that at all?
HK: Yeah, I’ve obviously seen it on the images, that the tires were over me and I sort of penetrated through the tire wall, but I don’t remember that moment.
Q: Did you have marks on your helmet?
HK: Yes, quite a lot of marks, but I think the helmet did its work – it took the impact very well and I didn’t have any injuries to my head, that’s the most important thing.
Q: Was that the first blackout of your career, and was that the most serious accident that you’ve had?
HK: I think it’s yes to both question. I haven’t had a blackout before. I’ve had a couple of serious accidents before but I never knocked myself out like that, and therefore it’s got to be the most serious accident so far.
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