The closest the other Mika ever came to winning a GP

His bio labels him as an FIA drivers' steward, but Mika Salo - born on this day in 1966 - nearly had an F1 win at the 1999 German GP under his name.

That year, Salo had been drafted in by Ferrari for the Austrian GP after Michael Schumacher had broken his leg at Silverstone.

In Austria, the Finn's maiden race with the Scuderia left him with a seventh-place finish while team mate Eddie Irvine had picked up the baton from Schumacher to charge to victory.

But at Hockenheim a week later, Salo outqualified the Ulsterman and was running in front of him in second place when he inherited the lead a little after the race's half-way point following the retirement of fellow Finn Mika Hakkinen.

Salo knew however that his leading position would not last. Sure enough, a lap later the radio crackled with the voice of Ferrari team boss Ross Brawn, telling him to "slow down".

In the end, Irvine led Salo over the finish line for a Ferrari 1-2. And that was as close as the other 'Mika' ever came to winning a Grand Prix.