MARCH 31, 1997

Salo to Ferrari in 1998?

MIKA SALO is rumored to be on the verge of signing a contract to be Michael Schumacher's partner at Ferrari in 1998 and beyond.

MIKA SALO is rumored to be on the verge of signing a contract to be Michael Schumacher's partner at Ferrari in 1998 and beyond. The Finn is in his third year of a three-year deal with Ken Tyrrell and is looking for a better drive after three frustrating years.

Ferrari is certainly interested in the Finn. The first contacts between Ferrari boss Jean Todt and Salo date back to the autumn of 1995 when Ferrari tried to buy Salo out of his Tyrrell contract. This was blocked by Ken Tyrrell and so Ferrari bought EddieÊIrvine out of his Jordan deal instead. There were further talks between Salo and Todt in September last year but once again Mika was unable to agree terms with Tyrrell.

Although the team says all the right things about Eddie Irvine, the Ulsterman has not been as successful as MichaelÊSchumacher's team mate as was expected. Eddie is trying hard to impress Ferrari this year but to date his races in Australia and Brazil have not been a success.