Mika Salo

Mika Salo
Mika Salo
Born	November 30, 1966 (age 59); Helsinki, Finland
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, commentator
Years active	1994–2002 (Formula One)
Known for	Formula One driver; Ferrari substitute in 1999; GT2 class wins at 24 Hours of Le Mans (2008, 2009)

Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a retired Finnish racing driver and commentator who competed in Formula One from to .

His most notable accomplishment was finishing tenth in the 1999 world championship, stepping in for the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for six events, where he achieved two podium finishes and played a key role in securing Ferrari's constructors' championship. Additionally, he claimed GT2 class victories at both the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance races.

Formula Three and Japanese racing

Born in Helsinki, Salo participated in the British Formula 3 Championship during 1989 with Alan Docking Racing, initially driving a less competitive Reynard Alfa Romeo chassis. The following year, he upgraded to a more competitive Ralt vehicle, finishing as runner-up to fellow Finn Mika Häkkinen. That same year, Salo was involved in an incident related to driving under the influence in London.

1994–1998: Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows

Following his stint in Japan, Salo made his Formula One debut near the end of the season with the struggling Team Lotus, participating in the last two races. After Lotus withdrew from F1 post-1994, he secured a seat with Tyrrell for three seasons, consistently scoring points. A highlight was his fifth-place finish at the rain-soaked 1997 Monaco Grand Prix, where he managed this result without refuelling, outperforming faster drivers such as Giancarlo Fisichella. Despite a promising year with Arrows, he did not secure a full-time position for .

1999: British American Racing and Ferrari

Salo replaced the injured BAR driver Ricardo Zonta for three races during BAR’s debut season, which was challenging overall; his best result was seventh at San Marino. A significant opportunity arose when Michael Schumacher suffered a broken leg at the 1999 British Grand Prix, prompting Ferrari to select Salo as his replacement alongside Eddie Irvine. At the 1999 German Grand Prix, Salo led much of the race and appeared destined to win until team orders instructed him to allow Irvine through, who was competing for the title. In gratitude, Irvine later presented his trophy to Salo. Additionally, Salo secured third place at the Monza race ahead of Irvine. These podium finishes were crucial in helping Ferrari clinch their first Constructors' Championship since .

2000–2002: Sauber and Toyota

In , Salo returned to full-time Formula One racing with Sauber, ending the season 11th in the drivers’ standings. He then joined Toyota to prepare for their inaugural F1 campaign, aiming for podium results rather than just points finishes. During Toyota’s debut season in 2002, he earned two points by finishing sixth at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, becoming the first driver since JJ Lehto in 1993 to score points on a team's first race. Following criticism of his performance, Toyota released him after 2002, marking his exit from Formula One.

Throughout his F1 career, Salo achieved two podiums and accumulated a total of 33 championship points.

Post-Formula One

After leaving Formula One, Salo began competing in endurance racing with the 2003 12 Hours of Sebring, driving an Audi R8 entered by a UK team. That year also saw him contest four CART races for PK Racing, with a best result of third place at Miami.

Utilizing strong connections with Ferrari, he contributed to developing the Maserati MC12 GT racer. He made his debut in the FIA GT Championship in 2004, narrowly missing victory at the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race driving a Ferrari 575. Later that season, entering four races with Maserati late in the calendar, he secured two wins and one second-place finish.

In 2005, his participation was limited to two ALMS GTS-class events with Maserati but found less competitiveness compared to FIA GT.

Returning full-time in 2006 with AF Corse, piloting a Ferrari F430 in FIA GT and later joining Risi Competizione for ALMS competition, Salo won his class at the Spa 24 Hours and finished third overall in the FIA GT2 Drivers' Championship with 61 points. His efforts also helped Risi secure the ALMS Teams' Championship.

In 2007, racing with Risi Competizione alongside teammate Jaime Melo, he won both the GT2 category titles at the 12 Hours of Sebring and claimed the overall ALMS championship by winning eight out of twelve races. He also captured the prestigious RAC Tourist Trophy that year with Thomas Biagi substituting for Michael Bartels in a Maserati MC12.

Salo and Melo were honored as first-team At-Large selections on the 2007 All-American Racing Team by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA). Continuing with Risi Competizione in ALMS during 2008, Salo won the GT2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished eighteenth overall.

In 2009, focusing on marquee endurance events—the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans—Salo triumphed in all three driving for Risi Ferrari. Later that year, seeking new experiences, he tested NASCAR machinery with Michael Waltrip Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.

Between 2010 and 2012, Salo competed in V8 Supercars’ Gold Coast 600 endurance event. Partnered with Andrew Thompson in 2010 resulted in retirements; subsequent collaborations with Will Davison and Ford Performance Racing during 2011–12 yielded a second-place finish followed by a victory.

In 2014, representing Maranello Motorsport, Salo co-drove a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 to victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour alongside Australian drivers Craig Lowndes, John Bowe, and Peter Edwards.

Personal life

Salo lives in Estonia with his wife Noriko Endo, whom he wed in July 1999, and together they have two children. His godson, Jesse Krohn, is a competitor in the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship. Since 2005, Salo has served as a Formula One race commentator for MTV3 and C More MAX. Beginning in 2011, he co-presented the Finnish television program Virittäjät ('Test Drive by Mika Salo') alongside journalist Tomi Tuominen.

In 2013, Salo featured on Discovery Channel's Driven to Extremes, appearing alongside actors Tom Hardy and Adrien Brody in episodes set in harsh environments including Russia and the jungles of Malaysia.

Helmet

Throughout his Formula One tenure, Salo’s helmet design transitioned from a dark blue base accented with white and red, inspired by Prost’s helmet, to a lighter sky blue version that retained the original design elements.

Career summary

Season	Series	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
1987	Nordic Formula Ford 1600	?	?	?	?	?	30	3rd
	Formula Ford Finland	?	?	?	?	?	40	2nd
	Formula Ford Sweden Junior	?	?	?	?	?	23	8th
1988	European Formula Ford 1600	?	?	?	?	?	80	1st
	Formula Ford Finland	4	4	4	4	4	44	1st
	Nordic Formula Ford 1600	3	2	?	?	2	40	1st

Complete British Formula 3 results

(key) (Bold indicates pole position) (Italics indicate fastest lap)

"1990"

Year	Entrant	Engine	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	DC	Pts
1989	Alan Docking Racing	Alfa Romeo	A	THR 7	SIL 5	BRH Ret	SIL 10	BRH 5	THR 7	SIL 5	DON 10	SIL 6	SNE Ret	OUL 12	SIL 11	BRH 7	DON 5	SIL 6	THR Ret	14th	10
Alan Docking Racing	Mugen Motorsports	A	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \| "DON" 2	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \| "SIL" 1	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \| "THR" 2	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| "BRH" 4	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \| "SIL" 1	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \| "BRH" 1	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \| "THR" 1	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \| "SIL" 2	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| "DON" 5
style="background:#FFFFBF;" \| "SIL" 1	style="background:#CFCFFF;" \| "SNE" 7	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \| "OUL" 2	style="background:#DFDFDF;" \| "SIL" 2	style="background:#EFCFFF;" \|"BRH" Ret	style="background:#FFDF9F;" \|"DON" 3	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \|"THR" 1	style="background:#EFCFFF;" \|"SIL" Ret		2nd	98

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 Championship results

(key) (Races shown in bold represent pole positions) (Races in italics denote fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final Position	Points
1991	Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd.	SUZ	AUT 14th	FUJ DNQ	MIN 6th	SUZ DNQ	SUG DNQ	FUJ 18th	SUZ DNQ	FUJ C	SUZ Retired	FUJ Retired	23rd	1
1992	Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd.	SUZ Retired	FUJ 15th	MIN 4th	SUZ Retired	AUT 10th	SUG Retired	FUJ 18th	FUJ 17th	SUZ 7th	FUJ 15th	SUZ 5th	15th	5

|- | 1993 ! nowrap | Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd. |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| |minimized the number of non-point finishes while maintaining consistent mid-field results| ! 17th ! 1 |}

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC	Points
1994	Team Lotus	Lotus 109	Mugen Honda V10	BRA	PAC	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	EUR	JPN 10	AUS Ret		NC	0
1995	Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha	Tyrrell 023	Yamaha V10	BRA 7	ARG Ret	SMR Ret	ESP 10	MON Ret	CAN 7	FRA 15	GBR 8	GER Ret	HUN Ret	BEL 8	ITA 5	POR 13	EUR 10	PAC 12	JPN 6	AUS 5	15th	5
1996	Tyrrell Yamaha	Tyrrell 024	Yamaha V10	AUS 6	BRA 5	ARG Ret	EUR DSQ	SMR Ret	MON 5†	ESP DSQ	CAN Ret	FRA 10	GBR 7	style= "background: #cfcfff" \| GER 9	style= "background: #efcfff" \| HUN Ret	style= "background: #cfcfff" \| BEL 7	style= "background: #efcfff" \| ITA Ret	style= "background: #cfcfff" \| POR 11	style= "background: #efcfff" \| JPN Ret		13th	5
(remaining seasons omitted for brevity)

Full CART Performance

(key)

Season	Team	Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final Standing	Points Earned
2003	PK Racing	27	STP	MTY	LBH	BRH	LAU	MIL	LS	POR	CLE	TOR	VAN	ROA	MOH	MTL	DEN 14	MIA 3	MXC 5	SRF 11	FON C †	16th	26

† Race called off due to California wildfires

24 Hours of Le Mans Performance

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Vehicle	Category	Completed Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
2003	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Audi Sport UK Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Arena Motorsport	Germany Frank Biela Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Perry McCarthy	Audi R8	LMP900	28	DNF	DNF
2007	United States Risi Competizione	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Johnny Mowlem Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Jaime Melo	Ferrari F430 GT2	GT2	223	DNF	DNF
2008	United States Risi Competizione	Template:Country data ITA Template:Namespace detect showall Gianmaria Bruni Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Jaime Melo	Ferrari F430 GT2	GT2	326	19th	1st

|- ! 2009

| align = "left" | Risi Competizione 
| align = "left" | Jaime Melo 
 Pierre Kaffer 
| align = "left" |Ferrari F430  GT2 
| GT2 
|329 
|18th 
|style = "background:#ffffbf;" | 1st

|} |- !2010

| align = "left" | AF Corse 
| align = "left" nowrap | Luís Pérez Companc 
 Matías Russo 
| align = "left" nowrap |Ferrari F430  GT2 
| GT2 
|0 
|DNS 
|DNS

|} |- !2014

| align = "left" | SMP Racing 
| align = "left" | Sergey Zlobin 
 Anton Ladygin 
| align = "left" nowrap |Oreca 03 R-Nissan 
| LMP2 
|303 
|37th 
|12th

|}

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Powertrain	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points Earned
2003	Audi Sport UK	LMP900	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbocharged V8	SEB 6th	ATL	SON	TRO	MOS	RDA	LGA	MIA	PET				28th place	12 points
2005	Risi Competizione	GT1	Maserati MC12	Maserati 6.0L V12 engine	SEB	ATL	MOH	LIM	SON	POR 4th	RDA	MOS	PET	LGA			Not Classified	0 points
2006	Risi Competizione	GT2	Ferrari F430GT	Ferrari 4.0L V8 power unit	SEB	REL 3rd	MOH 6th	LIM	MIL 1st	POR 1st	RDA	MOS	PET	LGA 1st			7th overall	82 points
2007	Risi Competizione	GT2	Ferrari F430GT	Ferrari 4.0L V8 engine	SEB 1st	STP 1st	LBH 1st	REL 1st	MIL 9th	LIM 9th	MOH 2nd	RDA 1st	MOS 1st	DET 1st	PET 6th	LGA 1st	Champion (1st)	202 points
2008	nowrap	Risi Competizione	GT2	Ferrari F430GT	Ferrari 4.0L V8	style="background:#efcfff;" \|SEB "12th"	style="background:#dfffdf;" \|STP "10th"	style="background:#dfffdf;" \|LBH "9th"	style="background:#efcfff;" \|MIL "13th"	style="background:#ffdf9f;" \|LIM "3rd"	style="background:#dfffdf;" \|MOH "5th"	style="background:#dfffdf;" \|RDA "5th"	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \|MOS "1st"	style="background:#ffdf9f;" \|DET "3rd"	style="background:#FFFFBF;" \|PET "1st"	style="background:#dfdfdf;" >LGA "2nd"	colspan=2\|	4th place	121 points
-	-

Full GT1 World Championship Results

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Standing	Points Earned
2010	Mad-Croc Racing	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	ABU QR Retired	ABU CR 15th	SIL QR	SIL CR	BRN QR 19th	BRN CR 12th	PRI QR	PRI CR	SPA QR	SPA CR	NÜR QR 15th	NÜR CR 23rd	ALG QR	ALG CR	NAV QR	NAV CR	INT QR	INT CR	SAN QR	SAN CR	52nd place	0 points

Comprehensive V8 Supercar Results

Year	Team Name	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	Final Position	Total Points
2010	Walkinshaw Racing	YMC R1	YMC R2	BHR R3	BHR R4	ADE R5	ADE R6	HAM R7	HAM R8	QLD R9	QLD R10	WIN R11	WIN R12	HID R13	HID R14	TOW R15	TOW R16	PHI Q	PHI R17	BAT R18	SUR R19 DNF	SUR R20 DNF	SYM R21	SYM R22	SAN R23	SAN R24	SYD R25	SYD R26					Not Classified	Zero Points +
2011	Ford Performance Racing	2011 Yas V8 400 YMC R1	2011 Yas V8 400 YMC R2	2011 Clipsal 500 ADE R3	2011 Clipsal 500 ADE R4	2011 ITM Hamilton 400 HAM R5	2011 ITM Hamilton 400 HAM R6	Trading Post Perth Challenge BAR R7	Trading Post Perth Challenge BAR R8	Trading Post Perth Challenge BAR R9	Winton Raceway WIN R10	Winton Raceway WIN R11	Skycity Triple Crown HID R12	Skycity Triple Crown HID R13	Sucrogen Townsville 400 TOW R14	Sucrogen Townsville 400 TOW R15	Coates Hire Ipswich 300 QLD R16	Coates Hire Ipswich 300 QLD R17	Coates Hire Ipswich 300 QLD R18	L&H 500 PHI Q	L&H 500 PHI R19	Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 BAT R20	"{{{1}}}2" (Armor All Gold Coast 600 SUR R21)	"{{{1}}}14" (Armor All Gold Coast 600 SUR R22)	Symmons Plains Raceway SYM R23	Symmons Plains Raceway SYM R24	Sandown Raceway SAN R25	Sandown Raceway SAN R26	Homebush Street Circuit SYD R27	Homebush Street Circuit SYD R28	52nd	201
2012	nowrap																										Not Classified	Zero Points †

† Ineligible for championship points

Full International Superstars Series Performance

(legend) (Events shown in bold represent pole positions) (Events in italics signify fastest laps)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
2012	Swiss Team	Maserati Quattroporte	MNZ 1 6	MNZ 2 16	IMO 1	IMO 2	DON 1	DON 2	MUG 1	MUG 2	HUN 1	HUN 2	SPA 1 5	SPA 2 3	VAL 1	VAL 2	PER 1	PER 2	19th place	30 points

Bathurst 12 Hour Event Outcomes

Year	Team Name	Co-drivers	Vehicle Model	Category	Completed Laps	Overall Result	Category Result
2013	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Maranello Motorsport	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall John Bowe Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Edwards Template:Country data DEN Template:Namespace detect showall Allan Simonsen	Ferrari 458 GT3	A Class	111 laps completed	Did Not Finish (DNF)	Did Not Finish (DNF)
2014	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Maranello Motorsport	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall John Bowe Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Edwards Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Craig Lowndes	Ferrari 458 GT3	A Class	296 laps completed	Winner (1st)	Winner (1st)
2015	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Maranello Motorsport	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Ben Collins Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Tony D'Alberto	Ferrari 458 GT3	A Class	0 laps completed	Did Not Start (DNS)	Did Not Start (DNS)

European Le Mans Series Full Results

Year	Entry Team	Category Class	Car Model/Chassis	Engine Type	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Final Position	Points Earned
2013 European Le Mans Series	SMP Racing	GTC Category	Ferrari 458 Italia GT3	Ferrari V8, 4.5 L	SIL	IMO	RBR	HUN	Circuit Paul Ricard 5	12th place	11 points
2014 European Le Mans Series	SMP Racing	GTC Category	Ferrari 458 Italia GT3	Ferrari V8, 4.5 L	SIL	IMO 10	RBR 9	LEC 11	HUN 11	28th place	4 points

References