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Formula 1 race-winner Heikki Kovalainen has shown off his scars two years on from open heart surgery. He chose to go under the knife in April 2024, not long after a routine medical check-up discovered a problem with his aorta which required medical intervention, and for the Finnish racer to put his rallying career on hold.

"I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm at the end of last year. Basically, a piece of the ascending aorta that was dilated quite a lot," he said at the time. Then aged 42, he underwent an operation at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, where he was looked after by "a wonderful team of doctors, nurses and assistants".

Kovalainen added: "The surgery went well and we managed to get done exactly what we were planning to do. The outlook is quite good. There is an opportunity to make a full recovery and regain full fitness, but of course time will only tell eventually how it all works out. But so far the estimation is quite good, so I'm very pleased with that."

He received plenty of public support at the time, Kovalainen being a popular figure in the motorsport world. He is best known for starting 111 F1 races including a two-year stint with McLaren, where he was team-mate to Lewis Hamilton and won the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix in the same season the Brit become world champion for the first time.

And, happily, that positive prognosis turns out to have been correct. In a new post on his social media pages, Kovalainen has reflected on his ordeal. He wrote: "It's hard to believe it's over two 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 every day when I'm looking at the mirror."

He received a huge number of supportive messages in the comments section, including from many others who have endured similar procedures and recovery periods. His former on-track rival Felipe Massa also replied, while news of his operation had completely bypassed another ex-F1 racer as former Benetton, McLaren and Williams driver Alex Wurz wrote: "Wow, I didn't know. Stay happy, man, thanks for sharing."

Kovalainen continues to be active in motorsport, having been a regular participant in the All-Japan Rally Championship in recent years. This year he is taking part in the Italian Rally Championship and said: "I decided not to continue competing in Japan, but I didn't want to stop racing in rallies. I feel the need to keep driving."