{"id":105358,"date":"2022-05-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balticguide.ee\/?p=105358"},"modified":"2022-05-23T16:17:07","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T13:17:07","slug":"the-master-and-the-apprenctice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balticguide.ee\/en\/the-master-and-the-apprenctice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Master and the Apprenctice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

 <\/p>\n

Two F1 drivers drive around the Imola depot in Bologna. Mika is known to everyone in the formula circles. J\u00fcri is a little more unknown, except in his native Estonia, where he is eagerly awaited as the country’s future F1 star.<\/p>\n

J\u00fcri Vips<\/strong> and Mika Salo<\/strong> have known each other for more than four years. Mika is 55 years old, and J\u00fcri is 21. J\u00fcri hadn’t even been born when Mika participated in the Japanese GP as a Lotus driver in 1994. Mika Salo also drove his last race in Japan in 2002, when J\u00fcri was only two years old.<\/p>\n

Mika noticed the young man’s ability while serving as a judge in the F3 class, “J\u00fcri was fast, but when he didn’t have the right support as a young Estonian driver, I decided to help the young man,” Salo recalls the beginning of the friendship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not his manager, but we\u2019re united by many things, like the Red Bull Racing team. I have opened some doors for him.\u201d J\u00fcri’s manager is Marko Asmer<\/strong> from Estonia, who is also a former racing driver – the first Estonian at the wheel of an F1 car as a test driver in 2003.<\/p>\n

In his career that lasted almost ten years, Mika Salo managed to compete in a total of 111 F1 races and served on the FIS jury for a long time after that.<\/p>\n

J\u00fcri Vips’ career began in 2011 as a karting driver, as it did for so many other current Formula 1 drivers. In 2018, he was inducted into Red Bull\u2019s Young Drivers Program. In 2021, Vips won two F2 races and finished on the podium six times. This season, he will still compete in the F2 series, but will also be a test and deputy driver in F1. Today, Vips still drives a lot on a simulator and tours around the race tracks with the Red Bull team.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is it possible to enter F1 without a big money bag?<\/h2>\n

\u201cYes, it is possible if you are talented enough. It is difficult to find sponsors in Estonia as well as in Finland. However, a lot of patience and practice is needed, as well as successful Friday practice runs. The game is pretty hard. Red Bull will quickly drop out if it doesn\u2019t succeed. Yes, the feedback comes immediately and directly, \u201d says Mika Salo.<\/p>\n

“Yes, I have noticed that Helmut (director of youth development projects, Helmut Marko<\/strong> from Austria) likes J\u00fcri.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Despite his young age, J\u00fcri Vips has already achieved a lot in his career so far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n

J\u00fcri Vips’ success in his career so far:<\/h2>\n