Speed On His Way Out?

[Halfie 0]

Interesting article, no idea how much we should read into it... But: http://www.totalf1.com/view-article.php?newsid=218727

Does cast a doubt on how much longer Speed will be at Toro Rosso, especially as there has been rumours before about Speed on his way out. It would be a shame to lose him from the paddock I guess. Interesting to know what others reckon to it... could just be an exaggerated incident that the press jumped on.

[Eric 0]

Speed admits it is done.

It's done.

**** you, Gerhard Berger.

Now, off to do better things, like Champ Car. Adios Formula Uno!

[aussief1 4]

Bye Bye Scotty boy.

He has lost confidence in the team as has the team and its managers with him. You must admit that you could never see Scott and Franz Tost being the best of buddies could you?

Sad way for both of Red Bull junior drivers to possibly (eventually) part ways with the sport and the team that has given them so much for so long.

Red Bull really does have egg on it's face with Speed and Luizzi at the moment.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

i hope Liuzzi gets a much better drive next year. A driver doesnt dominate F3000 with such ease like he did, then go on to achieve bugger-all. I still think he has potential!

[ykickamoocow 0]

i hope Liuzzi gets a much better drive next year. A driver doesnt dominate F3000 with such ease like he did, then go on to achieve bugger-all. I still think he has potential!

You forget that next year STR will be alot more competitive with the new customer car rules coming into effect. STR will be using the same car as Red Bull and will get all the aero updates as soon as Red Bull get them.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

You forget that next year STR will be alot more competitive with the new customer car rules coming into effect. STR will be using the same car as Red Bull and will get all the aero updates as soon as Red Bull get them.

Really? That makes me mad! Each team should build their own bloody car, otherwise it defies the object of constructors championship!

[ykickamoocow 0]

Really? That makes me mad! Each team should build their own bloody car, otherwise it defies the object of constructors championship!

Im not 100% certain about it but that is my understanding of the new rules. Prodrive will be buying a McLaren (probably this years one) and Honda and Super Aguri will also be working together though im not certain who will get what car as Honda may decide to buy Super Aguri's car

[Jem of the Shire 0]

I still think that a new team can be allowed to buy a customer chassis for its first season, but then after that they should design & build their own car

[Jean Todt 4]

Im not 100% certain about it but that is my understanding of the new rules. Prodrive will be buying a McLaren (probably this years one) and Honda and Super Aguri will also be working together though im not certain who will get what car as Honda may decide to buy Super Aguri's car

Ha! Classic Ykick, classic!

[Jean Todt 4]

i hope Liuzzi gets a much better drive next year. A driver doesnt dominate F3000 with such ease like he did, then go on to achieve bugger-all. I still think he has potential!

Yes, there were news earlier (few seasons back) that he could be perfect to replace the likes of Schumi. Suerly these two drivers are feeling like two housewives married to a guy who is bringing in a bombshell (Sab) to bang every fortnight.

[Halfie 0]

I thought the rules would be you guy buy anothers chassis, yet you have to produce your own within two years (to stop teams simply becoming B teams of others). I guess its rather certain Prodrive will be a Mclaren chassis? Thats going to raise some eyebrows...

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Super Aguri are clearly going to finish above Spyker in this years standings, using last years Honda. By finishing above Spyker, SA will get more money and reap the rewards that come with finishing above other teams. I find that very unfair

[mikathegreat2 2]

Speed admits it is done.

It's done.

**** you, Gerhard Berger.

Now, off to do better things, like Champ Car. Adios Formula Uno!

There, there Eric! We could always get somebody else to fill in Speed's race seat for him but according to formula1.com, STR don't have a test driver! My possibilities: Albers, Klien or Narain.

[Argento Reloaded 1]

I think Toro Rosso must find its way out of F1! Pathetic! Speed and Liuzzi are good drivers without a good car despite it run Ferrari engine and the same Bridgestone tyres all others teams uses!

[ykickamoocow 0]

I think Toro Rosso must find its way out of F1! Pathetic! Speed and Liuzzi are good drivers without a good car despite it run Ferrari engine and the same Bridgestone tyres all others teams uses!

I also think Speed and Liuzzi are solid drivers who deserve another year to see what they can do with a competitive car.

[Eric 0]

Getting my last post in before I leave for the week, I'm not a liar, I really am leaving for the week.

i hope Liuzzi gets a much better drive next year. A driver doesnt dominate F3000 with such ease like he did, then go on to achieve bugger-all. I still think he has potential!

Well, Scott out-performs him regularly. In a recent forum poll, 19 voted Speed was better, 7 voted equal, and 6 voted Liuzzi was better. It was at the motorsport.com forums, so it wasn't all-American bias.

Yes, there were news earlier (few seasons back) that he could be perfect to replace the likes of Schumi. Suerly these two drivers are feeling like two housewives married to a guy who is bringing in a bombshell (Sab) to bang every fortnight.

Then I guess Scott would've been perfect to replace Schumi, too. Again, see the poll results above.

There, there Eric! We could always get somebody else to fill in Speed's race seat for him but according to formula1.com, STR don't have a test driver! My possibilities: Albers, Klien or Narain.

It doesn't matter who takes his seat. I'm a Speed fan, not a number 19 STR fan. I'm going to follow him to Champ Car. I'd actually rather he go to CCWS because he would be dominant (he beat AJ Allmendinger head-to-head for his seat, and Allmedinger went on to win 5 races in the 2006 Champ Car season, so I have no doubts Scott could do the same or better), as where a test seat would be meaningless because without Friday drivers, the testers rarely ever get in the car during the season.

I think Toro Rosso must find its way out of F1! Pathetic! Speed and Liuzzi are good drivers without a good car despite it run Ferrari engine and the same Bridgestone tyres all others teams uses!

Yeah, they are a s##tty team, but it's due to Berger being s##tty. For example, he says Scott parties too much. Scott claims that he's never had an alcohol in his life, and especially not now due to his disease. Both Speed and Liuzzi deserve a lot better.

I also think Speed and Liuzzi are solid drivers who deserve another year to see what they can do with a competitive car.

I agree.

And now for some other random thoughts:

1: There is a possibility with Spyker that I'd like to see. They have the new Gascoyne car coming up in Turkey, and since Adrian Sutil is highly-rated as a top prospect, if Scotty could out-perform him he'd really put his name on the map.

2: If Scott sucks for going off, so does Lewis, because he did the exact same thing. And no one in their right mind, regardless of how biased they are, would say Lewis sucks.

3: Liuzzi had a mechanical failure my a##. Way to cover it up for the European driver, but not the American. Kimi had a mechanical failure and you didn't seem him start spinning backwards and hit a tractor.

4: Scott's screwed. He signed away his life with Red Bull. He's not allowed to be in any talks with any non-Red Bull sponsored teams, which makes it impossible for him to leave. All he can do is get shipped away to Champ Car or NASCAR or wherever Red Bull wants him to go, or get out of his contract and then take the risk Klien took and try to get some outside seat, which might be impossible.

5: If Bourdais comes up for Hungary, the good news is Will Power has a better shot at the championship.

6: Scott Speed and Tonio Liuzzi will end up on F1rejects.com, which isn't exactly right. Ide and Yoong are rejects. Speed and Liuzzi are good drivers who got screwed by a s##tty team with a s##tty car, and I can think of times when they made that s##tty car look good (Scott at Monte Carlo in 2007 with no brakes and only 3 retirements or so, Scott at Brazil 2006 beating Doornbos, Liuzzi, and DC for 10th, both at Australia 2006 when they both overtook Schumacher).

7: If Champ Car gets Scott, I'm pretty confident Matos and Hinchcliffe are moving up, and they should more than market those 3. The three of them have so much personality and they'd really make the sport a lot more popular (I'd watch)

8: When Scott Speed kicks their asses in Champ Car, I hope Gerhard invites him back and Scott says "Hell ****ing no"

[mikathegreat2 2]

Getting my last post in before I leave for the week, I'm not a liar, I really am leaving for the week.

It doesn't matter who takes his seat. I'm a Speed fan, not a number 19 STR fan.

Well, I wonder if their is another American racer capable of replacing him! Maybe you could recommend someone from that Champ Car series you have!

[Eric 0]

Well, I wonder if their is another American racer capable of replacing him! Maybe you could recommend someone from that Champ Car series you have!

Way to make me stop packing just to post this: there's only 2 Americans in Champ Car. Rahal who is inexperienced and not living up to the hype, and Figge who is only there because of his dad's money.

There's no American drivers currently out there who are capable of running F1 besides Scott Speed.

Now, if my beloved Hinch (Canadian, but same thing) dominates the World Series de la Champ Car and goes to F1, I will regain a lot of interest.

Ok. Stop making me come back, I need to finish packing.

[mikathegreat2 2]

Way to make me stop packing just to post this: there's only 2 Americans in Champ Car. Rahal who is inexperienced and not living up to the hype, and Figge who is only there because of his dad's money.

There's no American drivers currently out there who are capable of running F1 besides Scott Speed.

Now, if my beloved Hinch (Canadian, but same thing) dominates the World Series de la Champ Car and goes to F1, I will regain a lot of interest.

Ok. Stop making me come back, I need to finish packing.

Good luck with Champ Car !

EDIT: 1,001 posts. Not bad for a 13-year old !

[Autumnpuma 0]

There's no American drivers currently out there who are capable of running F1 besides Scott Speed.

Now for another American's take on this:

AJ Almendinger owned Speed back in their karting days and I reckon he'd still own him. Patrick Long is also amazingly quick. Alex Gurney is regularly trouncing the more seasoned competition in Rolex. Only speculation, of course, but there certainly are Americans as fast, or faster than Speed...in my never-to-be-humble opinion.

One driver that I personally feel would put any American to shame is Jeff Gordon. If only he had went into F1 instead of NASCAR....

[Eric 0]

Now for another American's take on this:

AJ Almendinger owned Speed back in their karting days and I reckon he'd still own him. Patrick Long is also amazingly quick. Alex Gurney is regularly trouncing the more seasoned competition in Rolex. Only speculation, of course, but there certainly are Americans as fast, or faster than Speed...in my never-to-be-humble opinion.

One driver that I personally feel would put any American to shame is Jeff Gordon. If only he had went into F1 instead of NASCAR....

Speed beat AJ out head to head to win his Toro Rosso seat.

Those GrandAm guys are good, but, they don't have enough experience in single-seaters for F1.

I agree about Jeff Gordon.

[Autumnpuma 0]

Speed beat AJ out head to head to win his Toro Rosso seat.

Those GrandAm guys are good, but, they don't have enough experience in single-seaters for F1.

I agree about Jeff Gordon.

Hmm...I missed Speed and AJ doing a 'head-to-head' for the Torro Rosso seat. It was my (probably flawed) understanding that he got chosen because of a) Red Bull's money and competing in GP2.

Most of the GrandAm guys are from single seaters..and were pretty damned good in them too! Here's a partial list of names that Gurney is proving himself against:

Scott Pruett

Max Papis

Jon Fogarty

Tomas Enge

Here's a list of names: Drivers

I've seen him race and Alex has got the goods.

[Eric 0]

Hmm...I missed Speed and AJ doing a 'head-to-head' for the Torro Rosso seat. It was my (probably flawed) understanding that he got chosen because of a) Red Bull's money and competing in GP2.

Most of the GrandAm guys are from single seaters..and were pretty damned good in them too! Here's a partial list of names that Gurney is proving himself against:

Scott Pruett

Max Papis

Jon Fogarty

Tomas Enge

Here's a list of names: Drivers

I've seen him race and Alex has got the goods.

AJ was also an American development driver for Red Bull, so they did the head-to-head, IIRC.

Yeah, Alex is a really good driver, but I still think they won't hire him until he does a year in GP2 or something. Also, isn't he around 33 or 34? That really won't help his chances with owners.

[AutoRacer5 0]

I think Speed should go to Toyota if they dont rehire Schumi.

An American driver in one of the largest auto sellers in the USA, marketing possibilities galore.

Plus, the Toyota's a bit better than the STR chassis is, just look at the points scored.

[Hapankaalimies 0]

I think Speed should go to Toyota if they dont rehire Schumi.

An American driver in one of the largest auto sellers in the USA, marketing possibilities galore.

Plus, the Toyota's a bit better than the STR chassis is, just look at the points scored.

Yes and Scotty is worth millions more than Ralfie is on the track as well. Only problems is that I'd like to see Sutil in Toyota but maybe he gets some other seat.

The finnish press said about the Speed/Tost incident: "It looks like Toro Rosso need not a new driver or two, but a new Team Leader."