12/21/24
March 07, 2006
Scott Speed: An American returns to Formula One- By Mark Gero: For the first time in 13 years, the U.S. has an entry in motor racing's premier event
It is 1993, and there is a new driver in the formula one world. He is a former Indy series champion and he has a famous father that won the world driving title only five years ago. The last name is very popular—Andretti. Only this time the first name is different, it is Michael. He will drive alongside the great Aryton Senna for the Marlboro McLaren team. This will be a great opportunity for an American to compete in formula one racing. Funny that that kind of idea was done thirteen years ago, and since that time when the younger Andretti was racing in formula one, there has been absolutely no American that has sat in a seat in one of the best racing competitions there is. Andretti left the formula one scene just months after he had entered it, tired of being too far away from home, and making up for it by having to travel by Concorde all the time. In addition, he was never around the McLaren camp too much for conversation, which was enough to make manager Ron Dennis extremely furious to dismiss him in the middle of the season. His replacement was the team’s test driver—a Finn named Mika Hakkinen. For many years after the issue with Andretti, many American fans withdrew from the international world of Formula One, and even with the consistent opportunities of American teams being formed and the debacle of last season’s U.S. Grand Prix, which had been reinstated for five years, it just made things go from bad to worse. Then came a former grand prix racer himself, Danny Sullivan, who had a wonderful idea: get an American youngster, and train him to become a formula one world champion. One of these men listening to this suggestion was Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz , who needed to get his energy drinks company going for more profit in the United States. It was a great chance for the Austrian, and he welcomed it with open arms. Many applicants went though the school, but one stood out the most, and the name made plenty of sense along with his talent: He was Scott Speed. The Californian already had won the German formula 3 title after Red Bull had their name on him, and last season he made the all important jump to the junior varsity of formula one: the newly formed GP2 series. Speed finished up third, in back of Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen and series champ, Nico Rosberg. Once again, Mateschitz’s connection came in when the brand new Red Bull F1 team needed a test driver. Speed took the advantage along with his GP2 duties to show up at Friday Practice at the Canadian and United States grands prix. It was a learning experience for Speed and this year it gave him the chance to do what has not been accomplished for the last 13 seasons: Put an American in a formula one seat again. Speed’s team is the brand new formed Scuderia Toro Rosso squad (which is Red Bull in Italian). The team took over the former Minardi team, which had been racing in formula one for the last 25 years before guess who? Mateschitz bought the club out with his Red Bull money to get a junior team going in F1. Italy’s Vitantonio Luzzi was one driver picked, Speed took the other seat. So with an American driver now located into an F1 car, will it bring out more U.S. fans? Will the attitude of Speed ruin the chance for Americans to be overlooked once again, or will the Californian get the respect that he and his country deserves. With Roger Penske thinking of a team in the next few years, things could get going soon enough for this nation to look at more than just an oval. And this is not about moving along, but moving with Speed.
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