Salo Suggests Bottas May Shift to Indycar for 2025 Racing
Sep.14 - Valtteri Bottas may need to keep his racing career alive by switching to Indycar for 2025. That is the view of fellow Finn and former F1 driver Mika Salo, who thinks the..
Name | Mika Salo |
Country | Finland |
Height | 1.75 meter / 5 feet 9 inch |
Place of Birth | Helsinki |
Date of Birth | Nov 30th 1966 - 58 years old |
Season Entries | 8 |
Car Number | 24 |
First Race | 1994 Japanese F1 GP |
Last Race | 2002 Japanese F1 GP |
Best Qualifying | 0th - 2000 Brazilian F1 GP |
Best Result | 2nd - 1999 German F1 GP |
F1 Teams History | Team Lotus (1994) Tyrrell (1995-1997) Arrows (1998) BAR (1999) Ferrari (1999) Sauber (2000) Toyota (2002) |
Mika Salo F1 Stats | |
Grand Prix Entries | 111 |
Grand Prix Starts | 110 |
Total Points | 33.00 |
Avg. Points per GP | 0.30 |
Grand Prix Wins | 0 |
Pole Positions | 0 |
Avg. GP Grid | 14.6 |
GP Podiums | 2 (1,8%) |
GP Fastest Laps | 0 |
GP Points Finish | 16 (14,4%) |
Avg. GP Position | 8.7 |
GP Retirements | 48 (43,2%) |
GP DNF's | 42 (37,8%) |
Total GP Laps | 5.442 |
Mika Salo was born on November 30, 1966, in Helsinki, Finland. Growing up, Salo was an avid go-kart racer and quickly developed a passion for motorsports. He soon graduated from go-karts to Formula Ford and made his way up the ranks to Formula Three and Formula 3000.
Salo made his Formula One debut in 1994 with the Lotus team, replacing Alessandro Zanardi. Despite not having a competitive car, Salo impressed with his speed and consistency. In 1995, he moved to the Tyrrell team and scored his first points in his debut race for the team in Brazil. He also scored points in Monaco and Germany, finishing the season with a total of five points.
In 1996, Salo was signed by the Arrows team, where he would spend two seasons. He had a difficult start to the season, but he improved as the year progressed, scoring points in three of the last four races. In 1997, Salo scored points in four races, including a podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he finished third behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
Salo's performances in 1997 caught the attention of Ferrari, and he was signed as a test driver for the 1998 season. He also made his race debut for the team at the German Grand Prix, replacing the injured Michael Schumacher. Salo finished second, scoring his first and only podium finish for Ferrari.
In 1999, Salo moved to the BAR team, where he partnered with Jacques Villeneuve. He scored points in four races, including a fifth-place finish at the European Grand Prix. However, he was replaced by Ricardo Zonta for the last two races of the season.
Salo's final season in Formula One was in 2002 with the Toyota team. He scored his final point in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Salo retired from Formula One at the end of the season, having scored 33 points and achieved two podium finishes in his career.
After retiring from Formula One, Salo became a driver coach and team manager. He also competed in sports car racing, winning the GT2 class at the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours. Today, Salo remains involved in motorsports, serving as a commentator for Finnish television and as a driver steward for Formula One races.
Mika Salo's Formula One career may not have been as successful as some of his peers, but he was a reliable and consistent driver who always gave his best. He earned the respect of his colleagues and fans alike and will always be remembered as one of Finland's finest racing drivers.
1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32nd | 15th | 13th | 16th | 13th | 10th | 11th | 18th |
Year | Team | Engine | GP | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pod | Pole | Laps | FL | Avg Pts | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Toyota | Toyota | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 924 | 0 | 0.12 | 2 |
2000 | Sauber | Petronas | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 872 | 0 | 0.35 | 6 |
1999 |
BAR Ferrari |
Supertec Ferrari | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 490 | 0 | 1.11 | 10 |
1998 | Arrows | Arrows | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 506 | 0 | 0.20 | 3 |
1997 | Tyrrell | Ford | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 903 | 0 | 0.12 | 2 |
1996 | Tyrrell | Yamaha | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 693 | 0 | 0.31 | 5 |
1995 | Tyrrell | Yamaha | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 956 | 0 | 0.29 | 5 |
1994 | Team Lotus | Mugen-Honda | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
2nd | 1 Time |
3rd | 1 Time |
4th | 1 Time |
5th | 7 Times |
6th | 6 Times |
7th | 9 Times |
8th | 8 Times |
9th | 7 Times |
10th | 8 Times |
11th | 3 Times |
12th | 4 Times |
13th | 4 Times |
14th | 3 Times |
15th | 2 Times |
DNF | 42 Times |
DSQ | 3 Times |
WD | 1 Time |
DNS | 1 Time |
Year | Race | No | Team | Engine | Grid | Pos | Retired | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 1999 | 1999 Italian F1 GP | 3 | Ferrari | Ferrari | 6 | 3 | 4 | |
1 | 1999 | 1999 German F1 GP | 3 | Ferrari | Ferrari | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Year | Team | Team Mate | Best Pos | Points | Wins | Poles | Pos | Quali | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Team Lotus | Alessandro Zanardi | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1995 | Tyrrell | Gabriele Tarquini | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Ukyo Katayama | 5 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 4 | ||
1996 | Tyrrell | Ukyo Katayama | 5 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
1997 | Tyrrell | Jos Verstappen | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
1998 | Arrows | Pedro Diniz | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 5 |
1999 | BAR | Jacques Villeneuve | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Ferrari | Eddie Irvine | 2 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
2000 | Sauber | Pedro Diniz | 5 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
2002 | Toyota | Allan McNish | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 2 |
Sep.14 - Valtteri Bottas may need to keep his racing career alive by switching to Indycar for 2025. That is the view of fellow Finn and former F1 driver Mika Salo, who thinks the..
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Feb.20 - Mika Salo is no longer involved in Russian motorsport. The same is true for Gunther Steiner, the Haas team boss who ousted Russian Nikita Mazepin and his lucrative..
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Jul.1 - Nikita Mazepin could be struggling in 2021 due to a simple lack of experience. That is the view of former F1 driver and current FIA steward Mika Salo, commenting on the..
Mar.29 - Nikita Mazepin "just doesn't belong" in Formula 1. That is the blunt assessment of a former F1 driver and regular FIA steward, after Russian rookie Mazepin's tumultuous..
Feb.26 - Mika Salo has hit reverse gear after revealing details of Ferrari's secret engine legality agreement with the FIA. The former Ferrari driver and current FIA steward..
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