Renault team boss Flavio Briatore had some harsh words for Heikki Kovalainen after the Finn’s nightmare Formula 1 debut in the Australian Grand Prix.

On a day when his fellow rookie Lewis Hamilton wowed the paddock with his assured drive to third place, Kovalainen turned in an error-strewn performance that featured a huge high-speed spin and several other ragged moments.

The highly rated 25-year-old, who was promoted to Renault’s race squad this season, survived his various dramas to finish a disappointing 10th.

Suffice it to say Briatore was not impressed.

“Heikki’s performance? I think everybody was watching on TV. I don’t need to protect anybody. It was rubbish,” the Italian told Reuters after the race.

“What can I say? If I tell you it was good, I am a complete idiot.

“It was no good. When you start like that, you don’t have any problem in getting better.”

Briatore made it clear that he retains his faith in Kovalainen’s ability and is sure the “real Heikki” will return soon.

“It was not Heikki today, it was not him,” he said.

“We know the guy is good. Because his performance was so bad, it was not him.”

For his part, Kovalainen admitted it had been a weekend to forget and sought no excuses for his performance.

“This may have been my grand prix debut, but to be honest, there is very little to remember from it – and lots to forget,” he said.

“I didn’t have a great race: there were too many mistakes, and my performance just wasn’t controlled enough.

“I had hoped to be able to move up through the field and gain positions.

“Straight away from the start, though, I was struggling even to hold on to other cars.”

Kovalainen vowed to learn from the weekend and prepare as thoroughly as possible to ensure he performs better in next month’s Malaysian GP.

“My feeling right now is that the next race cannot get a lot worse.

“But I will stay positive, work hard and try to make sure I have a better weekend in Malaysia.

“I will be driving all three days of the Sepang test in 10 days’ time, which will help me learn the circuit and give me a good starting point for the race weekend.

“Then, my objective will be to improve in every area for my second grand prix.”