Lewis Hamilton's ex-F1 teammate has career halted due to heart problem

Bad news for Heikki Kovalainen. The one-time Grand Prix winner (with McLaren in 2008) has to put his racing career on hold, at least for the time being. The Finn has been diagnosed with an enlarged aorta. Doctors advise the 42-year-old Kovalainen to undergo surgery, which is not without risk.

The health problem of Kovalainen, who competed in Formula 1 for Renault, McLaren, Lotus and Caterham, came to light during a routine check-up last November. "At the end of last season, I decided to have a thorough physical examination at the doctor's office. The idea was to check that no bigger problem was found, but then something like this came to light," the former teammate of Lewis Hamilton told Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

Surgery no longer preventable

Since then, Kovalainen has not been allowed to exert himself heavily physically. Meanwhile, he has been in contact with all kinds of medics - as far away as Japan - to discuss the best next step. Doctors recommend having open heart surgery. This surgery is not without risk, but the aorta is now dilated to the point where surgical procedure is a must.

Kovalainen: "Surgery has to be performed at some point anyway. That's why it doesn't really make sense to put it off until sometime in the next few years."

Kovalainen had eight seasons in Formula 1. Later, the Finn was successful in GT racing. He also competed in the World Rally Championship.