Former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen will have an open-heart surgery after recent medical check-up ahead of the 2024 Japanese Rally Championship.
Ever since leaving F1, Kovalainen has spent a lot of his time in Japan racing in Super GT and also Japanese Rally Championship. In recent years, he has devoted more time in rallying and was preparing for the 2024 season with Rally Tram AICELLO.
He was to partner Sae Kitagawa to drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, moving away from Skoda this year. But before the first round in February, a routine medical check-up brought up a severe case which would have created more troubles had he competed.
Even though, Kovalainen will not face huge troubles in leading a normal life, but in or to compete in future, he has to undergo an open-heart surgery. And so, he took the decision to undergo it as soon as possible and prolong his career beyond that.
“I was diagnosed with ascending aortic aneurysm in a medical check-up recently and I was told not to be able to participate in rallies due to increased risk of aortic rupture,” said Kovalainen in a statement. “I have no symptoms and I’m currently feeling good, and we are now making a plan on how to solve this issue.
“An open-heart surgery is our favourable solution at the moment and we are preparing for that. We hope to get an operation done and start the recovery as soon as possible. My aim is of course to return to the Japanese Rally Championship with Rally Team AICELLO. I was planning to participate in the rallies until the end of January, but after careful consideration with my team of doctors I’ve decided to try and fix this issue instead.
“I’m sorry for all our team partners and fans for this problem and many thanks for all the encouragement and support regarding this,” summed up Kovalainen, who has been part of multiple F1 teams in his career, from McLaren to Renault to Lotus/Caterham.
Meanwhile, team representative Hironobu Makino commented: “When I heard this story from Heikki just before the start of the season, I was extremely shocked. Considering Heikki’s feelings, who was looking forward to this season’s activities more than anyone else, and the concerns of his family, I had no choice but to make the decision.
“Although there was a period of hesitation, Rally Team AICELLO decided to continue participating in the race in order to fully support Heikki’s return, and to deepen his understanding and maturity of the new machine together with Katsuhiko Taguchi. We apologise for the great concern this may cause to everyone, but we ask for your understanding and support as we work towards Heikki’s recovery and return.”
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