F1 star shares open heart surgery scars after life-saving op: 'I had no symptoms'

Lewis, Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Heikki Kovalainen look on at the 2008 German Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 star shares open heart surgery scars after life-saving op: 'I had no symptoms'

An ex-McLaren F1 star had to put his career on hold to have life-saving surgery, and he didn't even have symptoms

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 23 April 2026 11:55

Sky Sports F1 legend Martin Brundle has taken to social media to share his respect for a fellow ex-F1 star after undergoing heart surgery which likely saved his life.

Heikki Kovalainen is perhaps most famous for his time as Lewis Hamilton's F1 team-mate at McLaren during the early stages of the Brit's career.

After completing his rookie year with Renault, Kovalainen effectively swapped seats with Fernando Alonso to move to the Woking-based F1 squad for the 2008 campaign, which Hamilton would go on to win in only his second season in the sport.

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The duo remained as team-mates for the 2009 championship before the Finnish racer switched to Lotus (who rebranded as Caterham for 2012) where he spent the rest of his F1 career.

Kovalainen only managed a single race win across his seven F1 seasons after he was victorious at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix, but he later turned back to his childhood dream of pursuing a career in rally, something he reportedly wasn't allowed to do within the confines of his strict McLaren F1 contract.

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F1 star gives recovery update after routine check-up led to urgent surgery

Like many Finnish racers, Hamilton's former team-mate turned to rally after both his F1 career and title-winning stint in Super GT had come to an end.

But Kovalainen had to put his rally career on hold in 2023 when he found out he was in need of heart surgery after discovering a potentially life-threatening issue following a routine medical check-up.

After having a regular health check in November 2023, Kovalainen was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm, a type of thoracic aortic aneurysm that can be fatal if it grows too large or ruptures.

As a result, the ex-McLaren star had open heart surgery and was shockingly back contesting Rally Japan just three months later.

Two years on from when he went under the knife, the 44-year-old has shared post-surgery pictures (warning if you don't like scars) providing a recovery update, something which Brundle took the opportunity to publicly praise him for.

In a post on 'X', Kovalainen shared scar update images and wrote: "Hard to believe it's over 2 years since my open heart surgery for an aortic aneurysm.

"It was something that was discovered in a medical check-up, without any symptoms. I'm forever grateful to the doctors and nurses who looked after me, and to be able to live my life without limitations is truly a blessing.

"A fading scar is reminding me of that event everyday when I'm looking at the mirror."

Former F1 driver Brundle then reposted Kovalainen's medical update, adding his own message of support for the ex-McLaren star.

"Well done Heikki. You’re a true professional and have my utmost respect," wrote Brundle.

F1 Martin Brundle Heikki Kovalainen