The Finn followed up his maiden victory at the Hungaroring earlier this month with fourth place in Valencia on Sunday, and Whitmarsh believes he's now capable of fighting for podiums on a consistent basis.
He says that Kovalainen has learned to adapt his driving styles to suit what the team require from particular sections of races, or other sessions, and has therefore overcome the tyre degradation issue that plagued him earlier in the season.
"Heikki's much more adept at switching effortlessly between engine-saving, brake-saving and tyre-saving modes, and he knows exactly when to push, so the situation he encountered at the start of the year when he was dealing with slightly more tyre degradation is no longer a concern," said Whitmarsh.
The McLaren boss also praised Kovalainen's ability to chase down a rival in a race.
"The reality is that Heikki's particularly strong when he's got the car in front in his sights," he added. "When he homes in on another competitor then his natural competitive instincts really come alive."
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