Written by:
Kevin Krefting
Speed was again let down by mechanical failure in the Spanish GP. (LAT Photo)
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Amid growing speculation, fueled mostly by an article in Switzerland's Motorpsort Aktuell magazine which claimed Sebastien Vettel could replace Scott Speed at Scuderia Toro Rosso from the French Grand Prix onwards, STR team boss Franz Tost has guaranteed that the team is not planning to fire Formula 1's sole American driver.
In an interview to Autosport magazine, Tost affirmed that Speed and teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi's lack of results so far this year cannot be criticized, as the Ferrari-powered STR2 still hasn't achieved a proper level of performance and reliability.
"Up to now, nothing in this way is being discussed or planned because currently we can't complain about the drivers," Tost said.
"We first need to provide the drivers with a proper car which is reliable, and this is not the case because on Saturday [in qualifying for the Spanish GP] we failed with gearbox and hydraulic problems.
"And apart from this, Scott has done quite a good job in Spain and from our point of view there's no reason to discuss replacing him."
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Speed was 10th fastest in Friday practice, but the Saturday issues forced him to start from the back on Sunday. He retired nine laps into the race when the left-rear tire delaminated.
"Regarding Vettel," Tost added, "as far as I'm aware he has a contract with BMW and is running in the Renault World Series, and I don't see a reason to bring him out of there because he has an existing contract."
