03/06/2005
NEWS STORY
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Red Bull has confirmed that American Scott Speed will fulfil the third driver role in the forthcoming Grands Prix in Canada and the United States.
"For this weekend and next week in Indianapolis, we have decided to give Red Bull Junior driver Scott Speed a couple of outings in the third car on Friday morning, following a successful test at Silverstone this week and in Barcelona earlier in the year," said team principal Christian Horner. "These races coincide with a gap in his GP2 schedule. We will be watching his progress with interest.
"Scott is obviously the most promising talent to come out of the USA for some considerable time," he added. "His achievements in Europe have been extremely impressive."
"This is an incredible opportunity for me," admitted the American. "Putting aside the fact that my second appearance at a grand prix will be in my homeland, it is really exciting to be driving an F1 car in front of a big crowd. I have never driven at either Montreal or Indy, so it will be a good experience for me. I don't know what to expect, but I am there to do a job, so I don't feel any extra pressure at the thought of the media interest that might come with it. Apart from last week's session at Silverstone, I did a two day test at Barcelona after the Malaysian GP. An F1 car is completely different to anything else I have ever driven, so the more miles I can do, the better. My GP2 car is more similar to an American Champ or CART car, but I feel comfortable in the F1 car. F1 also involves a lot more technology, but I love that side of the sport. Ever since I was ten years old, I was looking at the data from my go-kart.
"The technology is probably one of the main reasons I was drawn to F1," he continued, "apart from the fact it is clearly the pinnacle of the sport. There is so much data available, that there is always something to learn and that makes the job even more interesting.
"It is a common misconception that people in America are not interested in F1. From my experience, everyone racing in the States would love to compete in F1. But for an American, it can be an unattainable target. For a start, you have to move to Europe, which financially is almost impossible for most kids. It means you have to leave home and that requires a big sacrifice in terms of leaving your family behind. In my case, backing from Red Bull made it possible. Without that, I would probably be on my way to Champ car. To the kids growing up in karting, to those competing in NASCAR and IRL, it is obvious that F1 is the ultimate. Interest in F1 in the States is definitely growing."
Speed is currently second in the GP2 Series.