Salo to test for Ferrari
Former grand prix driver Mika Salo is set to make his return to the Formula 1 cockpit later this year, after the Finn revealed that his contract with the Maserati sportscar team includes the guarantee of a test with world champion Ferrari
Salo is no stranger to Ferrari, having helped it on its way to the 1999 constructors' championship when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher, and he has maintained a good relationship with the team ever since.
And having returned to Ferrari's sister-company Maserati for an assault on the FIA GT championship, Salo has also ensured that he will get his first run in an F1 car since being dropped by Toyota at the end of 2002.
Speaking about his deal for 2005, Salo said his Maserati contract includes: "the guarantee that I'll do at least one test with a Formula 1 car per year. That was something I really wanted to put in my contract and they accepted it, so I'm very happy."
And with Ferrari clearly not the kind of team that wastes an opportunity to test, any run that Salo gets is likely to be a serious effort to help its development - which is why it appears that the Finn is expected to get more than one run.
Salo's inclusion in Ferrari's testing plans means that the team now has an impressive tally of six drivers to call upon for development work - race drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello plus Luca Badoer, Marc Gene, Andrea Bertolini and Salo.
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