Mika Salo

Mika Salo had a win within reach with Ferrari and stepped aside to let it go. A Finn born in 1966, he made his debut at the end of 1994 with a Lotus team that had run out of money, and from 1995 to 1997 he raced for Tyrrell. At Monaco in 1997 he finished fifth without making a single pit stop.

His big chance came in 1999 as a stand-in. First he raced three rounds for BAR in place of Ricardo Zonta, and then Ferrari called him to take the seat of Michael Schumacher, who had broken his leg at Silverstone. In his second race with the team, in Germany, he was leading and let Eddie Irvine through, who was fighting for the title: he finished second. At Monza he was third.

Those were his only two podiums. With them and six races at Ferrari he had his best year, tenth in the championship. He raced 2000 with Sauber and, after a year of testing, Toyota's debut season in 2002, the last of his career.

Seven teams in nine years and an afternoon at Hockenheim when he could have won and did not because the team asked him not to.