Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he is disappointed with Caterham’s 2012 season so far.
It is rumoured that the Finn may now have raised his profile sufficiently, after disappointing early seasons with top teams Renault and McLaren, to be a candidate to leave backmarker Caterham and move up the grid in 2013.
The Finnish broadcaster MTV3 suggested Kovalainen, who has appointed the management giant IMG to do his negotiations, might even be in the running for Felipe Massa’s Ferrari seat.
He admitted to Turun Sanomat newspaper that he had expected a step forward in 2012, after Caterham’s early startup struggles as Lotus in 2010 and 2011.
"Definitely, I have been a little disappointed," said the 30-year-old. "The pace has not been what we had hoped for, and the latest updates did not bring the momentum we had expected.
"The biggest disappointment is that we have not reached the group (of teams) that is in front of us in the races. The situation is more or less the same as last season," Kovalainen noted.
But he is also quoted by MTV3: "Yes, I believe that the situation can turn around.
"We have made progress — not necessarily with the car, but as a team."