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Price per head - Onshore Bookmakers
U.S. getting back up to Speed in F1
By David Exum
Scott Speed enters the realm of American Formula One racing legends Mario Andretti and Phil Hill today as the California native makes his long awaited F1 debut in the Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit.
Not since Michael Andretti drove 13 races in 1993 with McLaren-Ford has an American competed in Formula One, an open-wheel series largely dominated by the best European drivers.
“There’s a ton of excitement and as well a lot of nerves,” Speed said. “I’m not really expected to do much with my lack of experience and everything else, but at the same time, you know, I’m a racecar driver and I want to do really well performance-wise.”
Discovered by the Red Bull American Racing Driver Search in 2002, the aptly named Speed was well on his way to becoming the next American to compete against the likes of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher when three years ago he was stricken by a severe intestinal ailment that put his career in jeopardy just as it was promising to take off.
Unable to train for the rigors of F1 racing, Speed’s career was saved by a specialist from Vienna who discovered an effective therapy and began treating the then-20-year-old driver in 2003.
Speed fully recovered from the ailment and returned to racing in 2004, winning the Formula Renault - the junior series that launched the career of current F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen.
In 2005, Speed did so well in the GP2 series, the Triple-A of F1, he landed a ride with Italian team Toro Rosso (Italian for Red Bull) for the 2006Formula One season.
“The first time you get to see a F1 car live on the racetrack it takes your breath away,” Speed said. “The performance of the car is unlike anything else - the way it stops, how fast it is going through the corners. It is absolutely amazing to watch.”
Now doing a lot more than watching, Speed will mark another milestone this summer by becoming the first American driver in 17 years to compete in the United States Grand Prix at fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Eddie Cheever Jr. was the last American to compete in the USGP in 1989.
While the popularity of F1 in the States is far exceeded by that of NASCAR, Speed clearly understands the importance of his involvement in terms of what it means to his countrymen.
“I really hope that the (American) presence of Formula One can increase,” Speed said. “It’s the pinnacle of motorsports.”
Alonso on the go
This will be the final season defending F1 champion Fernando Alonso will drive for Team Renault.
With overseas media reports running rampant that Alonso will go either to McLaren or Ferrari in 2007, the youngest F1 champion expects to repeat this season.
“The best farewell present for all of us would be to win the championship,” Alonso said.
Alonso, winner of a personal best seven races last season, is doing all he can to put a positive spin on his departure as numerous published reports have hinted at strife between the Spanish driver and Renault.
“Renault has been my family since I started in Formula One,” Alonso said. “I gave a lot of things to Renault and they gave me a lot of things. We need to do the maximum together again this year.”
Meanwhile, Alonso’s teammate at Renault, Giancarlo Fisichella, said the atmosphere within the two-car stable is positive.
“Everyone must make his own decisions,” Fisichella said. “Fernando came to the conclusion that this was right for him. The atmosphere inside the team is still excellent, so hopefully we will both benefit from it, as will the team.”
Schumacher upbeat
Unlike last season, when Renault and McLaren ran neck-and-neck in the battle for F1 superiority, leaving Ferrari in the dust, Schumacher believes his team and Honda are ready for a title chase.
“I think we’ll see a very close fight between three or four teams,” Schumacher told Autosport magazine. “I am pretty optimistic we’ll be one of them along with Renault and Honda.”
Schumacher is coming off a lackluster 2005 campaign. Although he finished third in the series standings, he was a whopping 71 points behind front-runner Alonso. Schumacher also had six DNFs.
Schumacher’s only victory last year came during the controversial race at Indianapolis. Before the start, 16-of-22 entries competing on Michelin tires withdrew from the race due to safety concerns.
But after a successful 2006 preseason, Schumacher is confident his Ferrari team, along with new stable mate Felipe Massa of Brazil, can rebound.
“If you look now, we’re pretty competitive. We’re there with our lap times and that’s very promising for us,” Schumacher said.
With 84-career F1 wins to his credit and 142 podiums in 232 starts, the 37-year-old German isn’t ready for retirement, despite published reports.
“I feel very different, simply because after you’ve had a story of success like we had, to then have a hard season . . . you sort of get tired by the end of a season like that,” he said.
Ferrari also went back to the proverbial drawing board for the 2006 season, providing its drivers with the all-new 248 F1.
“Like (Schumacher), I am convinced that our car is good,” said Massa, who has yet to earn a podium in 53 F1 starts. “It will be important to score as many points as possible in the initial races. I want to be in the running, because I believe that it will be possible to win with this car.”
About to embark on his third F1 season and what is perhaps the biggest ride of his career, Massa looks to improve on an F1 track record that has seen himfinish a career-best fourth twice.
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