Scott Speed out at Toro Rosso

Not that it came as a surprise to anyone who was paying attention, but Scott Speed has been replaced at Toro Rosso. Sebastian Vettel will take his place for the remainder of the season. Rumors about Speed's future have been circulating for pretty much the entire season (and well before the season, Speed was confirmed as a driver for 2007 just before the season started), but they increased after reports of a physical confrontation between Speed and Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost (doesn't that sound like a villain from a cartoon? Fraz To[a]st?).

I can't shake the feeling that Scott never really got a fair chance at Toro Rosso. He came in as a bit of a gimmick, a way to get American fans interested in the sport. His teammate, Vitantonio Liuzzi, was always the favored one on the team. Neither of them ever had a competitive car, though, so both were normally lapping towards the back of the field by the end of a race, if they were still running at all. It is tough to evaluate a driver in a bad car, but generally neither Liuzzi or Speed have ever looked particularly strong. It will be interesting to see what Vettel, who was a revelation in his first race at Indianapolis in a BMW earlier this year, can do in the piss-poor Toro Rosso car.

Most of the coverage of Vettel replacing Speed will center on the fact that, yet again, there are no American drivers in F1. And at least for next season, there won't even be a race in the US. I don't see the driver situation improving anytime in the near future, but it doesn't really bother me. Formula 1 is not big in the US and it probably never will be. I like watching the races, but I can understand why a lot of other people don't. The drivers are bland Europeans and the races can turn into very expensive parades without any passing at all. Sure, an American driver would help increase the profile of the sport, and it gives me someone to cheer for, but in the end, it won't affect my enjoyment of the sport all that much. And isn't that what really matters?