Heikki Kovalainen has confirmed that he is in advanced negotiations with Caterham over a return to the team in 2014 after a season on the sidelines as their reserve driver.

Kovalainen raced for the backmarkers between 2010 and 2012, but he was dropped at the end of last season in favor of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, both of whom brought financial backing to the team. However, he decided to stay with the team as a reserve driver before getting the chance to race for Lotus in the USA and this weekend in Brazil after Kimi Raikkonen pulled out of the final two races to undergo back surgery. Nevertheless, the Finn does not believe that this stint with Lotus will have any impact on his plans for 2014.

“I think that it will not have any impact,” Kovalainen explained. “We’ve prepared the plans for next year already before these two races we’re happening. I think it will not have any impact, you never know in Formula One but my gut feeling is that it will not have an impact. I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can.”

He confirmed that Caterham would be the most likely destination in 2014 and that he is in advanced talks with the team about a full-time race seat.

“I think the most likely option is Caterham, back to Caterham next year,” he said. “Nothing has been signed, but we are quite far up the road with negotiations.

“Hopefully things get finalized soon but you never know in Formula One so it’s better not to talk about it too much until things have been signed but that has been the original plan and the Lotus thing doesn’t change it too much.”

Therefore, it is likely that we will see the likeable Finn in a full-time seat next season, and this could leave Charles Pic without a place in Formula One after he admitted earlier this week that he is not sure about his future.

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