Heikki Kovalainen has admitted to relief after signing on with well-known management stable IMG.
The Finn has been handling his own career on and off the tracks since splitting in 2009 with Flavio Briatore in the wake of the ‘crashgate’ affair.

According to the broadcaster MTV3, Briatore did not give up Kovalainen without a fight.

“We have had a battle with Flavio for a couple of years,” revealed the 30-year-old Caterham driver. “In the meantime, we had to take care of things ourselves.”

Kovalainen admitted that with his current contract up at the end of this year, his future for 2013 and beyond is open.

“Either we continue with Caterham or pursue at some other place, so in either case this (signing with IMG) is the right solution,” he said.

Lewis Hamilton has a new day-to-day manager, British newspapers have revealed.
As his on and off-track woes worsened last year, the 2008 world champion insisted he was happy with his management team headed by pop industry agent Simon Fuller.

But Fuller’s company, XIX Entertainment, has now appointed Didier Coton – the famous F1 driver manager who handled Mika Hakkinen’s career – to look after McLaren’s Hamilton.

Formerly with Keke Rosberg’s outfit, Coton now heads his own management firm, Monaco based Aces Group.

“Didier’s appointment builds on the existing strengths of XIX and I am delighted to have him as part of the team,” Hamilton is quoted as saying.

British tabloids also report that Hamilton, 27, has reunited with his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

Red Bull will not stop Adrian Newey from contesting amateur motor racing events, team boss Christian Horner has revealed.

Early last month, the team’s highly respected designer and technical chief was hospitalised after crashing during a Ginetta support race at Snetterton.

The 51-year-old escaped serious injury but was subject to suggestions that a highly paid and valuable member of a formula one team should not be exposing himself to such high risks.

“Adrian is a keen amateur racing driver — and a free spirit,” Horner said in a German language interview with Sportwoche.

“He is very competent and it’s something he will continue to do.

“The more you try to inhibit someone, the more frustration there is,” added Horner.

He claims that it is these type of restrictions, particularly in the realm of his actual team work, that means Newey is more comfortable at Red Bull than he was with his former employer.

“Adrian is his own man and needs freedom, and with McLaren he didn’t have it,” Horner insisted.