Mar.25 (GMM) Ron Dennis thinks McLaren can take credit for rebuilding Heikki Kovalainen following the Finn's difficult debut season for Renault in 2007.



At the Malaysian grand prix last weekend, 26-year-old Kovalainen outperformed Lewis Hamilton in only his second race for the Mercedes-powered team.



Team boss Dennis makes no bones about his belief that Renault, led by outspoken Italian Flavio Briatore with whom there is no love lost, did no favours to Kovalainen last year before replacing him for 2008 with Nelson Piquet Jr.



"Heikki is a guy who was systematically taken apart last year and we have systematically put him back together again," the Briton is quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.



Dennis said Kovalainen, whose F1 debut was dismissed as "rubbish" by Briatore, "lost his motivation" in 2007 as he was "misguided" in how to go about things like physical preparation.



He also refutes suggestions that, amid McLaren's rumoured interest last year in drivers such as Nico Rosberg, Kovalainen was only the second or third choice to replace Fernando Alonso in 2008.



"He was miles ahead of any other option," Dennis insists.



"Then when we spoke to him you could just see that look which says it is in there if we could just get his self-belief back, get him into a position where he knew what he had to do."