Toro Rosso confirms Speed for 2007
Scott Speed, America's only F1 driver, will be back in action in his home United States Grand Prix on June 17 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the rest of the races in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship.
"That's the race I'm looking forward to most of all," Speed said. "The reception I got from the fans at Indianapolis last year was incredible."
As in his rookie 2006 season, Speed drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso. His teammate again will be Italian Tonio Liuzzi. After finalizing contract details, the team confirmed Speed on Feb. 24.
Speed, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Jan. 24, hails from Manteca, Calif. He is the first F1 driver from the United States since Michael Andretti competed for McLaren in 1993.
In 2006, Speed drove in all 18 F1 races and finished in the top 13 a total of 11 times. His best finish was ninth in the Australian Grand Prix.
Speed had his first run in the 2007 car, the Ferrari-powered STR2, on Feb. 24 during a test session at Bahrain's F1 circuit. He completed 60 laps. Liuzzi drove the car Feb. 22 and 23.
"We are still very much in the early stages of development, learning about the car and how to work with it," said Scuderia Toro Rosso Chief Engineer Laurent Mekies. "This meant that for the first two days we did not cover as much mileage as we would have liked, but this is inevitable when learning about a new car.
"But by the third day, we managed to increase our number of laps and pick up some speed, as we worked on aero and mechanical setup, as well as evaluating the two types of tire Bridgestone will make available to us for the race here in April."
Speed, Liuzzi and many of the other F1 drivers, including reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso, will return to action testing Feb. 27-March in Bahrain.
The 2007 season kicks off March 18 in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix.
2007 USGP tickets: Reserved Race Day and three-day "Season Passes" for the 2007 United States Grand Prix, June 15-17, are on sale to all customers.
Ticket information can be found any time at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-4639 or (317) 492-6700. Ticket Office hours are from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. USGP PR
02/24/07 (GMM) After Scott Speed spun the STR2 and ended Saturday at the bottom of the Bahrain time sheets, Toro Rosso confirmed that the Californian will race alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2007.
"Scuderia Toro Rosso is happy to confirm that Scott Speed will once again race for the team this season," an excerpt from the Faenza based team's three-day roundup in the Arabian Gulf read.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton topped the times as the sun continued to shine on the desert-surrounded Sakhir circuit.
The final group test of the pre-season resumes on Tuesday.