Lewis Hamilton sees kindred spirit in Heikki Kovalainen

By Alan Baldwin

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton expects McLaren to be a far more harmonious team now that Heikki Kovalainen has replaced Fernando Alonso.

"You know how it is with certain people," the Formula One championship runner-up told reporters after the launch of the new McLaren MP4-23 car at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart on Monday.

"Some people you ask questions and they give you one-word answers and some people make the conversation and are just easy.

"With Heikki I don't need to make the conversation, he is happy to start it and we just can talk for ages. And I think he has very similar views to me.

"He loves the car without traction control, he loves racing wheel to wheel, he loves a real true spirit race. With that I think it just makes everything a little bit simpler," added the Briton.

Hamilton, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Monday, lost out by a single point last year to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen after an astonishing rookie season alongside Spain's double world champion Alonso.

Alonso had joined the Mercedes-powered team as the main man, the proven winner recruited from Renault to restore McLaren's fortunes and lead their challenge for a first title since 1999.

Instead, the Spaniard found himself the outsider against a team mate who had been backed by McLaren for the past decade and who was not to be intimidated.

As Hamilton went from strength to strength, the relationship between the drivers and between Alonso and McLaren deteriorated to the point where the champion was no longer speaking to team boss Ron Dennis.

When Alonso then moved to Renault, Finnish rookie Kovalainen joined McLaren in a straight swap.

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Hamilton rejected suggestions that McLaren, who were stripped of all their points last year and fined $100 million for a spying controversy, was his team and Kovalainen would have to play second fiddle to him.

"I don't believe that I am starting as a first driver," he said.

"We expect to have exactly the same opportunity and I believe that is what we are going to be given. I'm sure as team mates we are going to push to beat each other, push the team forward."

Hamilton, who won four races last year and achieved the unprecedented feat for a rookie of nine podium finishes in a row, said he had learned a lot from Alonso.