Scott Speed

By Jamie Makin
February 25 2007

Scott Speed is in his second season as full-time F1 race driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Learn more about this talented young American here.

Birthplace:	Manteca, California, USA
Current Residence:	Fuschl Am See, Austria
Date of Birth:	24 January 1983
Entered F1:	2005
Number of F1 Races:	18
Number of Retirements	5
Career F1 Points:	0
Number of F1 Wins:	0
Number of F1 Poles:	0
Number of F1 Podiums	0

First let's get one thing out of the way . . . yes, Scott Speed is his real name. But to the 24-year old American racer, it's more than just a name, it's a way of life. Speed began his karting career in 1993 in a country better known for oval racing. He claimed his first national karting championship in 1995 at the age of 12.

The American open-wheel ladder series is not as well defined as its European counterpart and as such, Speed moved around to several different series after his years in karting. The one constant was his winning drives and his dedication to his career. In 2001 he was crowned Russell Racing Champion followed by 2002 championships in Barber Dodge National and Formula Mazda.

Red Bull stepped into the scene in 2002 when they launched their Driver Search program seek out the country's next F1 champion. Speed made it to the finals of that year's competition and was signed into the driver development program.

He soon moved to Europe and began tackling the tougher competition there. 2003 saw him race in the highly competitive F3 series, but he was unable to complete the season due to illness. His comeback in 2004 was strong as he took championships in Formula Renault series in Europe and Germany.

For 2005, he moved to the inaugural GP2 championship for the Red Bull-sponsored iSport team. Although he did not score his maiden win there, he landed on the podium a number of times and finished third in the series standings.

Speed's biggest step towards his dream of racing in Formula One came on the 2005 North American swing in Montreal and Indianapolis. Red Bull nominated him as their Friday driver and let him showcase his talents in front of his home fans. He performed solidly in both Friday sessions and was particularly well received in Indianapolis. His Friday drive remains the highlight of the weekend for the fans disappointed by the Michelin boycott of the race.

It has been over a decade since an American driver has raced in Formula One, when Michael Andretti drove the 1993 season for McLaren. Speed will now give the American fans the national hero they've been craving as he contests the 2006 season for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Scott Speed also drove the first three A1GP races for Team USA over the winter break. Although he secured the number '1' for his team's car in a winter shootout, his results on track have fallen short of the team's expectations. His best finish was fourth in the feature race at Estoril, but the rest of his results have been either outside the top ten or failures to finish. Click here for Speed's A1GP results.