Formula 1 race winner turned rally driver Heikki Kovalainen says he has the possibility of making a full recovery after undergoing open-heart surgery.
 

The former McLaren, Renault, Caterham and Lotus F1 driver announced in March that he would undergo an operation after being diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm, a medical condition that affects the arteries.

As a result of the diagnosis, Kovalainen has halted any motorsport activities.

The Finn had been set to defend his Japanese Rally Championship title, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, alongside co-driver Sae Kitagawa, with whom he won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.

Kovalainen has since offered an update on his condition, confirming that his operation “went well” and is now recovering at home.

“I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm at the end of last year,” he said in a social media video.

“It’s a piece of the ascending aorta that has dilated quite a lot. This is obviously the reason why I haven't been able to join in rallies or any other activities over the winter. Over the last few months, I have been going through, with a team of doctors, my options.

“We decided to have an operation. I was operated on last week at Tampere University Hospital, in the heart unit there. A wonderful team of doctors, nurses and assistants took care of me. It was open-heart surgery, so I have marks forever on my chest. But the surgery went well.

“We managed to do exactly what we set out to do. We cut out the diseased part of the ascending aorta and put an artificial graft in place. Everything went well. It was obviously a big operation. A couple of days after the operation I was feeling a bit rough, but things have improved a lot since then.

“I'm actually back at home and already recovering. The outlook is quite good. There is an opportunity to make a full recovery and regain full fitness, but of course, only time will tell how it all works out. So far, the estimation is pretty good, so I'm very pleased about it.

“In the meantime, I continue to recover and try to hopefully get out and little by little increase my activities. The main thing is obviously that the chest bone has time to heal. And once all of this is done, if things go well, I hope to be able to return to my normal routines. I hope to see you out soon again.”

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Former Formula One winner Heikki Kovalainen has signed for JBXE to drive alongside Hedda Hosås for Extreme E Season 3.

After finishing third in Season 1, Jenson Button’s outfit dropped to ninth in the standings last term – despite securing a podium finish in NEOM Island X Prix I. JBXE will be aiming to bounce back with their new driver line-up in 2023 with their Nordic duo behind the wheel.

Jenson Button, Team Owner of JBXE, said: "Delighted to be announcing Heikki as our new male driver and also to have Hedda continue with the team! To bring such an established name from the world of motorsport and someone I had the pleasure of racing against in Formula One is brilliant for the team and the series.

“Following his move into the world of rally, it was a no brainer for the team to approach him and I’m over the moon he’s agreed to join the team and equally delighted to be keeping Hedda after she has continued to make great progress in the car, she fully deserves her place."

Kovalainen secured his single career victory at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the 100th driver to win a Formula One race. The 41-year-old becomes the fourth F1 name to enter Extreme E as he joins team owners Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, with whom he is all too familiar.

In his early career, the Finn finished runner-up in the Formula One junior series, GP2, behind Rosberg, while he was a team-mate to Hamilton when competing for McLaren in Formula One during 2008 and 2009 – claiming his sole victory and pole position for the team which now also contests in Extreme E.

Kovalainen raced in Formula One from 2007 to 2013, where as well as McLaren, the Finn represented Renault, Team Lotus, Caterham and Lotus F1 Team, securing four podiums in total.

Following his success in Formula One, Kovalainen switched to the Japanese Super GT series in 2015, winning the championship a year later before changing lanes to take on the world of off-road motorsport full-time.

Driving for JBXE this season will not be Kovalainen’s first outing in off-road racing. That moment came when Kovalainen competed in the Race of Champions (ROC), a feat he would take on five times between 2004 and 2010. His debut saw Kovalainen overcome motorsport legends David Coulthard, Jean Alesi, Michael Schumacher and Sébastien Loeb on his way to victory at his very first attempt. The Finn also won the ROC Nations Cup with Marcus Grönholm in 2006.

Kovalainen's first foray into rallying in Japan came in 2016 and has since competed in the Japan Rally Championship, where he dominated the JN-2 class championship to clinch the title with a round to spare, the Japan Super Rally Series and made his World Rally Championship debut at last year’s Rally Japan in a WRC2 car.

Extreme E’s marks Kovalainen’s latest venture in off-road racing but first time in an all-electric championship, as he teams up with Hosås to take on some of the most challenging environments in motorsport.

Heikki Kovalainen, JBXE, said: "I'm really excited to join JBXE in the Extreme E series in Saudi Arabia! It's a great championship with great teams and drivers so I'm looking forward to competing with them. 

“It'll be something new again in my career. After my Formula One stint I've done GTs as well as some rallying and I'm always looking for new challenges and looking forward to giving this a try. It'll be a steep learning curve no doubt but I'm up for it and hopefully we'll get up to speed quickly.”

Hosås’ early career comprised largely of motocross competition before making the transition to rallycross. More recently, she has been competing in the Norwegian Rallycross Championship and made a guest appearance in the Danish championship in 2021.

Hedda Hosås, JBXE, said: "Super excited to be driving again for my second season with JBXE in Extreme E. To have the support and expertise of both Jenson and Heikki, two ex Formula One drivers, will help me to continue my development as a driver.

Currently a Veloce Racing Development Driver, Hosås has competed in Extreme E for JBXE since the double-header in Sardinia last term. Hosås made her series debut at the opening round of Season 2 last year, stepping in for the injured Christine GZ at Veloce Racing in Saudi Arabia, before switching to Jenson Button’s outfit at the next round.

The Norwegian teamed up with Kevin Hansen in the number 22 car and the Scandinavian duo raced to third place in the NEOM Island X Prix I, marking the podium on her debut for JBXE.