Is this the end for Scott Speed (and Tonio Liuzzi)?

[Teppic]

I reckon so!

Autosport.com said:

Speed hits out at Toro Rosso bosses

Scott Speed has hit out at Toro Rosso bosses Gerhard Berger and Franz Tost, saying they are "pushing like hell" to get rid of him and teammate Tonio Liuzzi next season.

Speed's 2007 deal with Toro Rosso was delayed until late in February, with team co-owner Berger saying the American needed to show more commitment in order to stay at the Italian squad.

Berger has made no secret of the fact that the team are interested in Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, who has an option with Toro Rosso for 2008.

Speed angrily hit out at Berger and Tost following the European Grand Prix, saying both him and teammate Liuzzi have very little support from them.

"Gerhard and Franz have their own ideas about what they want to do with their future, and they say things accordingly," Speed told the SpeedTV website.

"That's nothing to do with my performance on the track, that's for sure. It's clear that from my bosses me and Tonio both have very little support.

"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, actually.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read the press and know that Franz and Gerhard are pushing like hell to get rid of me and Tonio."

Both Speed and Liuzzi retired from the European Grand Prix after spinning off before the end of lap three.

The team's usual post-race press release only said "Nothing to say".

Er... when your F1 career is hanging by a thread the last thing you do is lambast your bosses, however true the intentions of Franz and Gerhard might be. Have a go when you've been dropped, fine, but don't do it while you're currently driving if you want any hope of staying in F1. He was lucky to be retained this season, and it was pretty obvious that he was going to be shown the door at the end of the season. After this outburst I wouldn't be surprised if he's shown the door tomorrow.

[jacobyte]

Teppic said:

Autosport.com said:

It's actually made me lot more relaxed and a lot more calm, and I think I'm producing better results, actually.

So he needs to be threatened with sacking in order to get better results? He really is digging his own grave.

[anonymous-user]

He was never going to last beyond this season I'm afraid!

[chrisbr68]

Good, I am glad. The first time I heard Speed speak was in an interview before A1 started.

Q: Who is going to win A1 this year(this being the first year)?
A: Oh thats easy - we are.

Tosser.

[The Hypno-Toad]

Sorry for the duplicate thread all but this would be where I got the information about a slight 'to do' in the pits,

http://www.f1i.com/content/view/7938/1/

Sounds a bit of hand bags to me.

[sosidge]

No US GP on the calendar in 2008... not much point in keeping an underperforming Yank on the books... better off finding a rich Asian or Middle Eastern racer!

[mko9]

Speed's performance has been as good or better than Liuzzi's for the last two seasons, for all that is worth. Of course it is hard to judge either one of their capabilities when they are driving a complete POS car. I don't know why Sebastian Bourdais would even consider taking a ride with a team that has a mechanic DNF 1 of every 3 starts. The only reason STR isn't the complete laughing stock of the grid is that they have Spyker behind them.

[deevlash]

mko9 said:

Speed's performance has been as good or better than Liuzzi's for the last two seasons, for all that is worth. Of course it is hard to judge either one of their capabilities when they are driving a complete POS car. I don't know why Sebastian Bourdais would even consider taking a ride with a team that has a mechanic DNF 1 of every 3 starts. The only reason STR isn't the complete laughing stock of the grid is that they have Spyker behind them.

Their cars great, its the same as the red bull one, its just that they have a team who until recently were used to working on a stone age minardi. They are also a very small team and dont its taken red bull a while to get up to speed with maximising neweys design. I still think liuzzi is good though, he just crashes too often. Speed is only there because hes a yank though and his 2nd name

[corozin]

Hmm... let me see... if I was Gerhard Berger and I had the choice of retaining a driver with a fast name but who has been a mobile chicane to the rest of the F1 field all year and a driver who's won three Indycar titles on the trot (and looks strong to take a fourth this year)

Let me see...

Scott Speed has forgotton one of the cardinal rules of F1 driver employment, that is that even if the car is shit the Team Principal will always find it easier to fire a mouthy, unachieving driver rather than accept the blame lies with the car.

Scott - time to start looking for a drive in Nascar sonny.

[mko9]

deevlash said:

Their cars great, its the same as the red bull one, its just that they have a team who until recently were used to working on a stone age minardi. They are also a very small team and dont its taken red bull a while to get up to speed with maximising neweys design. I still think liuzzi is good though, he just crashes too often. Speed is only there because hes a yank though and his 2nd name

I'm not sure which car you are refering to. I would not call a car that breaks down before the finish line in 1 of 3 starts "great". Speed and Liuzzi have an almost identical record of mechanical failures/crashes/finishes, and their average finishing position is within a couple of decimal places over the last two years. Liuzzi is no better than Speed. So I'm not sure how Speed is getting a bunch of grief in this thread, yet Liuzzi gets none.

STR just had Sebatian Bourdais out for test a week or so ago. Granted his F1 seat time is extremely limited, but his lap times were no faster than Liuzzi's the day before. It is the car/team that is holding up STR not the drivers.

corozin said:

Hmm... let me see... if I was Gerhard Berger and I had the choice of retaining a driver with a fast name but who has been a mobile chicane to the rest of the F1 field all year and a driver who's won three Indycar titles on the trot (and looks strong to take a fourth this year)

Bourdais is racing in Champ car, not Indy car. And that very pedigree means he is going to cost the team a ton more cash, and in the end deliver no better performance. You can only do so much when the pit crew can't even keep your tires inflated.

[Dr JonboyG]

mko9 said:

deevlash said:

Their cars great, its the same as the red bull one, its just that they have a team who until recently were used to working on a stone age minardi. They are also a very small team and dont its taken red bull a while to get up to speed with maximising neweys design. I still think liuzzi is good though, he just crashes too often. Speed is only there because hes a yank though and his 2nd name

I'm not sure which car you are refering to. I would not call a car that breaks down before the finish line in 1 of 3 starts "great". Speed and Liuzzi have an almost identical record of mechanical failures/crashes/finishes, and their average finishing position is within a couple of decimal places over the last two years. Liuzzi is no better than Speed. So I'm not sure how Speed is getting a bunch of grief in this thread, yet Liuzzi gets none.

STR just had Sebatian Bourdais out for test a week or so ago. Granted his F1 seat time is extremely limited, but his lap times were no faster than Liuzzi's the day before. It is the car/team that is holding up STR not the drivers.

corozin said:

Hmm... let me see... if I was Gerhard Berger and I had the choice of retaining a driver with a fast name but who has been a mobile chicane to the rest of the F1 field all year and a driver who's won three Indycar titles on the trot (and looks strong to take a fourth this year)

Bourdais is racing in Champ car, not Indy car. And that very pedigree means he is going to cost the team a ton more cash, and in the end deliver no better performance. You can only do so much when the pit crew can't even keep your tires inflated.

Hear hear. Vitantonio has hardly outshone Speed - and more of his DNFs seem to be from him sticking it in the wall. Then again, there's not much likelihood of him keeping his seat next year either.

Oh, and Speed TV is reporting that Scott Speed has been shown the door: http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38...

[skeggysteve]

Latest news on Scott Speed:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61125

So who do you reckon will be driving in a couple of weeks time!

[Hut49]

skeggysteve said:

Latest news on Scott Speed:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61125

So who do you reckon will be driving in a couple of weeks time!

I expect JV's been on the phone

[Graham]

Hut49 said:

skeggysteve said:

Latest news on Scott Speed:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61125

So who do you reckon will be driving in a couple of weeks time!

I expect JV's been on the phone

yikes looks like the only thing fast about scott speed will be his exit from F1.....

[D_Mike]

rather a brave thing to do I think - it's not on for the team to lie about him to the press. I think he did the (morally) right thing.

[woof]

I quite like the sound of Franz Tost - sounds like he knows how to treat a driver

So how's going to replace Speed at Hungary next week - i guess it will be Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull driver - way better than speed - should be interesting to see how he does

[FourWheelDrift]

woof said:

I quite like the sound of Franz Tost - sounds like he knows how to treat a driver

What by punching his driver for doing the same thing as most of the rest of the field did, at least he aquaplaned off during the race and not at speed under yellows when the safety car was brought out which Liuzzi also nearly hit. Speed has also been on pace with and faster than his much admired team mate all year you know.

Speed is testing with the team at Mugello today so maybe Dieter Mateschitz has told Tost to behave or he's out instead.

Autosport said:

Furthermore, when asked by autosport.com if Speed will race in Budapest next week, Tost himself replied 'yes' unequivocally.

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Wednesday 25th July 11:18

[woof]

It was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment
But still i like a bit of passion in the paddock - nothing like a good punch up

FourWheelDrift said:

woof said:

I quite like the sound of Franz Tost - sounds like he knows how to treat a driver

What by punching his driver for doing the same thing as most of the rest of the field did, at least he aquaplaned off during the race and not at speed under yellows when the safety car was brought out which Liuzzi also nearly hit. Speed has also been on pace with and faster than his much admired team mate all year you know.

Speed is testing with the team at Mugello today so maybe Dieter Mateschitz has told Tost to behave or he's out instead.

Autosport said:

Furthermore, when asked by autosport.com if Speed will race in Budapest next week, Tost himself replied 'yes' unequivocally.

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Wednesday 25th July 11:18

[FourWheelDrift]

woof said:

It was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment

I wasn't sure or not, I'm still partly in anti-loneranger mode

Tost would make a good premiership football manager.

[MrKipling43]

FourWheelDrift said:

woof said:

It was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment

I wasn't sure or not, I'm still partly in anti-loneranger mode

Tost would make a good premiership football manager.

Is he still in the sin bin?