A month after Alonso's departure, it was confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen would drive the second car for McLaren in alongside Hamilton, who signed a new five-year multimillion-pound contract to stay with the team until 2012. Hamilton won the first race of the season, the , from pole. In Malaysia, he finished fifth from ninth on the grid, serving a penalty for impeding Nick Heidfeld's qualifying lap. He was back on the podium in Spain where he finished third, before finishing second in Turkey, and winning the to take the lead of the championship. In Montreal, Hamilton crashed into the back of Räikkönen during the race, after failing to see that the Finn was waiting at a red light at the end of the pit lane as the whole field went past under the guide of the safety car, causing both cars to retire. Hamilton was given a 10-position grid penalty for the next race, the .