Kovalainen to BMW

UPDATE This rumor is downgraded to 'false' with today's announcement by Briatore that Kovalainen will be the third driver for Renault. 11/07/05 Heikki Kovalainen will replace Jacques Villeneuve at the newly BMW-owned formula one team Sauber next year, a Finnish media source has said.

The 24-year-old GP2 runner-up, who is under long term contract to Renault and Flavio Briatore, would be released to race alongside Nick Heidfeld both next year and 2007, the source reported.

Kovalainen, from Finland like Kimi Raikkonen, is well known for beating Michael Schumacher at Paris' Stade de France for the 2004 Race of Champions.

The source also doubted reports that BMW's bill to buy-out Villeneuve's signed and sealed '06 Sauber contract would be just $3m or $4m.

Indeed, it was claimed that the Munich manufacturer would need to give Canada's JV a tidy $15m – significantly more than his '06 retainer – to spend the year gardening.