Former Formula 1 driver Mika Salo said he is recovering after suffering a serious leg injury in what doctors suspect was a stabbing in Bangkok, earlier this week. Salo, 59, told Finnish media from Bangkok that he received a deep wound to his leg while crossing a pedestrian crossing near his hotel.
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He said a motorcycle passed very close to him and he felt a slight impact, but initially thought nothing of it. The former racing driver continued walking before a passer-by alerted him that blood was pouring from his leg. When he looked down, he saw that his shoe was covered in blood and realised the injury was severe.
Salo was taken by taxi to a nearby hospital, where doctors treated a deep open wound to his leg. He said surgeons had to stitch both muscle tissue and skin, with a total of 28 stitches required.
“It looked really bad. A huge open wound. The muscle had torn,” Salo said. He added that doctors believed the injury may have been caused by a knife and was not accidental, because the cut was straight, deep and clean.
According to Salo, hospital staff later told him that several patients arrived with similar slash wounds on the same evening and overnight. He said the incidents appeared to have happened in the same area near his hotel.
Salo has been holidaying in Thailand with his wife and said he regularly visits the country, where many of his friends live. He said he had never experienced anything similar before.
The first few days after the injury were considered critical because of the risk of infection in Bangkok’s hot and humid conditions. Salo said he has returned to hospital daily for wound cleaning and dressing changes.
Despite the seriousness of the injury, he said he has not suffered significant pain and has not needed painkillers. He is currently taking antibiotics and can still walk short distances, although doctors advised him not to walk too far.
Heavy rain and temperatures of around 35-36C during Thailand’s rainy season have limited his movements, with Salo spending much of his time inside his air-conditioned hotel room to keep the wound dry.
Two days after the incident he was able to walk to a nearby sports bar with friends to watch Finland’s national ice hockey team play. He said he could comfortably manage one or two kilometres on foot.
Salo praised the treatment he received in Thailand, describing the hospitals and doctors as excellent and efficient. He also said the incident had not made him fearful of motorcycles in Bangkok.
“If this was intentional, they only tried to injure me,” he said, adding that the outcome could have been far worse if the attack had targeted his upper body.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Source 24 May 2026
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