In March, Kovalainen disclosed that he had been diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm.
Earlier this month, the Finn also revealed that he had undergone open-heart surgery and the operation went well.
“I was operated on last week at Tampere University Hospital. It was open-heart surgery, so I have marks forever now on my chest,” Kovalainen previously shared.
The former F1 driver has also indicated that he has temporarily paused his rally career until it is clear how the recovery from the heart operation progresses.
Kovalainen’s Japanese team, Aicello, is showing their support. The team sent greetings to Heikki, accompanied by a text and image displayed in their service tent. The photo was shared on social media by the Japanese rally site, Rally Plus.
If the embed above does not appear, you can view the image here.
“Wishing you so much love and the speediest of recoveries,” reads the team’s message.
The Japanese Rally Championship continues tonight, according to European time. This is the second round of the season, held in Karatsu as an asphalt event.
Kovalainen has won the Japanese Rally Championship twice with Rally Team Aicello. He secured the titles in 2022 and 2023.
