Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has officially released the name of its new driver; it is no other than Heikki Kovalainen. There have been numerous rumors out there on who will replace Fernando Alonso. Adrian Sutil and Nico Rosberg had been rumored, but Heikki definitely seems like a good choice.

“We had a number of options open to us and as always we want to make sure that we have the most competitive driver line-up and I think that Lewis and Heikki will be a formidable combination,” said Martin Whitmarsh. “Both enjoyed great rookie seasons in 2007 and share a genuine passion for winning and being the best. Heikki made a strong impression and Lewis’ performance so far has been outstanding and speaks for itself. I am confident that they will push each other on track and work well together off track. In addition with Pedro remaining our primary test driver alongside Gary, we really have a strong package and look forward to 2008.”