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SpeedTV.com wrote:F1: Toro Rosso Boots Scott Speed
Scott Speed walks away from his Scuderia Toro Rosso ride after crashing at the Nurburgring. (Photo: Getty Images)
Two weeks after it was announced Formula 1 was leaving the United States, the lone American in the series is now gone.
SPEEDtv.com has learned that Scott Speed will be replaced -- immediately -- on the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 team following a stormy weekend at the Nurburgring.
A source inside the Red Bull-sponsored team confirmed that Speed got his walking papers Monday after a physical confrontation with team manager Franz Tost. German Sebastian Vettel is the likely choice to replace the young American.
"As far as I know, Scott has not been released and he's planning to go to the test this week in Italy," said Mike Speed, father of the former go-kart star, from his California home on Monday night.
"But, obviously, there's been a lot of things going on."
After spinning out of last Sunday's German Grand Prix, along with six other drivers during a sudden downpour at the 'Ring, Speed and Tost got into a shouting, then shoving match.
And this came on the heels of the 24-year-old's first public statements about his treatment since becoming a full-time F1 regular in 2006.
“It’s clear that from my bosses, that me and Tonio (Liuzzi) both have very little support," Speed told RACER magazine's Adam Cooper last weekend. "It’s been that way for the last two years, and it’s a lot more now. At some point I said I don’t care, if I’m not in F1 next year, if I’m with a different team, it’s OK for me. It’s actually made me lot more relaxed and a lot more calm, and I think I’m producing better results now actually.
"It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read the press and know that Franz and Gerhard (Berger) are pushing like hell to get rid of me and Tonio."
Even though Speed has out-performed his teammate this year, neither has scored a point and Scott's best showing was ninth at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Toro Rosso team is under-funded, by F1 standards, and half of Speed's eight DNFs in 2007 have been mechanical failures.
SPEEDtv.com speculated several weeks ago that three-time Champ Car king Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Senna would replace Speed and Liuzzi in 2008 but, if Vettel is released from his contract with BMW, it appears he will join Bourdais.
"Nothing is official, they (Toro Rosso) have an option on me that expires at the end of this month so if something is going to happen it will have to be soon," said Bourdais, who tested for the third time with Toro Rosso earlier this month.
Speed was first chosen by the energy drinks company as part of its U.S.-based Red Bull Driver Search program, which funded the Californian's climb through Europe's junior formulae ranks all the way to F1. It's logical he might be able to use that connection to come to Champ Car since that series needs young American drivers. Co-owners Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven currently sport Red Bull sponsorship.
"We haven't discussed anything like that," said Mike Speed. "Scott never wanted to do anything but F1 and I don't think that's changed."
So do you believe it? Or is Speed TV trying to stir up the pot?
