BANGKOK — 26 May 2026, Police have located former Formula One driver Mika Salo after he was slashed on the leg by a motorcycle rider while crossing a pedestrian crossing in central Bangkok.
Salo, 59, a Finnish national, said he was crossing a zebra crossing in the Sukhumvit area when a moped rider passed and struck him. He initially felt only a slight impact and was unaware he had been injured until a bystander pointed out that his leg was bleeding. “I looked down and saw that my shoe was completely covered in blood,” he told a Finnish newspaper.
The former Ferrari stand-in driver was taken by taxi to a nearby hospital, where doctors found a deep open wound to his calf. Salo said doctors had to stitch both muscle and skin, with eight stitches in the muscle and 20 more in the skin, for a total of 28 stitches.
Doctors suspected the wound may have been caused by a knife or another sharp object because the cut was deep, clean and straight, according to Salo’s account to Finnish media. However, the exact cause has not been independently confirmed by Thai authorities.
Salo also said hospital staff later told him several other people had been treated for similar slash wounds on the same evening and overnight. Some reports said the injuries may have occurred in the same area near his hotel, raising concern that the incident may not have been isolated.
No Thai police statement has yet been found confirming whether the reported cases were linked or whether a suspect has been identified.
“If this was intentional, they only tried to injure me,” Salo was quoted as saying by reports citing Finnish media, adding that the outcome could have been worse if the blade had struck another part of his body.
At 12:20 on 26 May 2026, Pol. Maj. Gen. Phanlop Raemla, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau overseeing investigation affairs, inspected the area alongside the commander of Lumpini Police Station. Officers located Salo at a hotel in the Sukhumvit area and brought him to Lumpini Police Station for further questioning.
Salo said he has been returning to hospital for wound cleaning and dressing changes and is taking antibiotics while recovering in Bangkok. He praised the treatment he received in Thailand, describing the doctors and hospitals as efficient and professional.
Salo competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2002, racing for teams including Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari, Sauber and Toyota. He is best known for replacing the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for six races during the 1999 season.