Heikki Kovalainen enters the race for a Lotus seat in 2014

Heikki Kovalainen

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has admitted that Heikki Kovalainen will be a surprise candidate to replace the outgoing Kimi Raikkonen.

Kovalainen, who boasts a wealth of experience in Formula One, was drafted to Lotus from Caterham after Raikkonen’s withdrawal from the last two races due to an impending surgery. And the Finn managed to produce a good performance in the practice session at Austin, much to the delight of Boullier.

“He can be (an option). It is true that he was not originally on the list, but if he’s doing well now, he can change our minds. I don’t know, anything is possible,” Boullier told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado are the other two names in the scene for a potential seat. Hulkenberg is highly rated by the Lotus shareholders while Maldonado is heavily sponsored which makes it an interesting tussle between the three.