However, given Raikkonen's renowned love of vodka and reputation for partying, Kovalainen may yet regret asking his fellow Finn for a suggestion on how to mark his maiden success.
"I will take him out!" replied Raikkonen with a grin.
Kovalainen, though, would appear to prefer a quieter celebration as he said: "I haven't been to my real home in north Finland for a long time, so I think I will go there at the end of the week.
"I will celebrate the day with my people in Suomussalmi village where I'm from.
"I've a little karting race organised on Saturday which has become a tradition for the last five or six years, but now it will be a very special event having won this race.
"It will be nice to go and see my people there, my family, but then it will be back to business, although I will even try to get something out of the break."
Formula One may head into its summer holiday, but Kovalainen knows behind the scenes there will be no let up as all at McLaren will be determined to build on three successive wins.
"I'll spend a bit of time in Woking talking to the engineers and preparing for the next race [European Grand Prix, Valencia]," added Kovalainen.
"This win doesn't turn my world completely upside down, even if there was a two-month break now.
"I'm happy about it, but this is just part of the goal I set myself because now the next goal is to repeat this, and then after that to do it again.
"We just need to keep up our concentration all the time."
Fortune played a part, but then after the rotten luck Kovalainen has endured on occasions this season, the 26-year-old was overdue a rub of the green.
Running third behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the latter first suffered a sidewall puncture to the left-front tyre of his McLaren on lap 41.
Then just three laps from home, Ferrari suffered an engine failure for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix of 2006, denying Massa the win.
A respectful Kovalainen added: "Of course I feel a little sorry for Felipe, and even for Lewis, because they both drove a great race.
"But I know how they feel because I've had similar moments myself this year, quite a few times
"After Saturday I've been in a position to fight for the victory, but something has always gone wrong, something hasn't functioned perfectly.
"So to stand on the top step of the podium and to hear the Finnish anthem playing for me was fantastic. It was a great moment.
"It is something I have been targeting for many, many years now."
Timo Glock took a surprise second in his Toyota ahead of Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in his Renault, with Hamilton fifth.
The 23-year-old now has a five-point lead over Raikkonen and eight on Massa, with Robert Kubica 23 points down after he could only manage a lowly eighth in his BMW Sauber.
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