Kovalainen returns to F1 duties after surgery

Heikki Kovalainen is on the road to recovery, following open-heart surgery.

It emerged in March that the former Formula 1 driver, who is 42, was being forced to put his rallying career on hold after doctors discovered an enlarged aorta during a routine check.

He had the required operation shortly afterwards.

And now, after resting completely for a time, the ex-McLaren and Renault driver returned to F1 commentary duties over the recent Chinese GP weekend.

"The recovery is going very well in every way," the Finn told Ilta Sanomat newspaper. "But recovery is a long process."

Kovalainen, winner of the 2008 Hungarian GP when he was Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, didn’t travel to Shanghai or even appear in the remote Viaplay studios.

"It was nice to be with Viaplay over the weekend," he said, "although not actually in front of the cameras yet. But I did feel fit enough to join a few sessions.

"There’s still some small challenges with my voice - my throat is a bit irritated and that’s why I’m not participating in the studio sessions yet.

"But my health has been good - no pain at all after the operation. In a couple of months, we’ll see how the situation looks with the doctors."