Now that Max Mosley has allowed an appeal on the espionage ruling from the WMSC, thereby giving Ferrari their day in court, things might go a little quieter on that front for a while. But the continuing saga of Scott Speed and STR will not lie down and die, it seems.
Scott Speed - Red Bull may give him wings...
Scott has had nothing to say since Vettel took his seat and was confirmed for the balance of the season, so it was reasonable to assume that was an end to the matter, with Scott's plans for the future to be announced at some time. Yet this morning it is reported that Scott's manager, Glen Hinshaw, has pointed out that his client's contract has not been canceled. More will be revealed after the Hungarian Grand Prix, apparently.
This has led to speculation in some quarters that Speed might return to the team and take Tonio Liuzzi's seat - and Franz Tost's recent comments show that he is just as unhappy with the Italian's performance as he was with Speed's. Add to this the fact that STR have not taken up their option on Sebastien Bourdais and it looks remotely possible that the suggested scenario could happen.
I doubt it, however. Tost's opinion on both Liuzzi and Speed is pretty clear and I cannot see him having Scott back without enormous pressure being exerted by Red Bull, who fund the STR team. It would make little sense for the American to continue with a team that so obviously doesn't want him anyway.
But I do think that Red Bull have a hand in all this. Scott is one of their drivers, after all, and they may not be prepared to let him go without offering him an alternative. That could conceivably be a testing role for the remainder of the season or perhaps a seat in an American series such as Champ Cars. No doubt we will know a bit more in due course.
There is one more possibility that may be hinted at in Hinshaw's email to the LA Times. Scott has a contract, after all, and STR are effectively breaking it by putting Vettel in his seat. He has a good case for taking the team to court, therefore, and could even add charges of assault, thanks to the incident at the European GP. That could amount to quite a bit of money in damages claims and that thought cannot have been far from the minds of the STR bosses over the last few days.
Yes, there may indeed have been monetary obstacles to the team letting Vettel drive at the Mugello test...
Scott Speed - Red Bull may give him wings...
Scott has had nothing to say since Vettel took his seat and was confirmed for the balance of the season, so it was reasonable to assume that was an end to the matter, with Scott's plans for the future to be announced at some time. Yet this morning it is reported that Scott's manager, Glen Hinshaw, has pointed out that his client's contract has not been canceled. More will be revealed after the Hungarian Grand Prix, apparently.
This has led to speculation in some quarters that Speed might return to the team and take Tonio Liuzzi's seat - and Franz Tost's recent comments show that he is just as unhappy with the Italian's performance as he was with Speed's. Add to this the fact that STR have not taken up their option on Sebastien Bourdais and it looks remotely possible that the suggested scenario could happen.
I doubt it, however. Tost's opinion on both Liuzzi and Speed is pretty clear and I cannot see him having Scott back without enormous pressure being exerted by Red Bull, who fund the STR team. It would make little sense for the American to continue with a team that so obviously doesn't want him anyway.
But I do think that Red Bull have a hand in all this. Scott is one of their drivers, after all, and they may not be prepared to let him go without offering him an alternative. That could conceivably be a testing role for the remainder of the season or perhaps a seat in an American series such as Champ Cars. No doubt we will know a bit more in due course.
There is one more possibility that may be hinted at in Hinshaw's email to the LA Times. Scott has a contract, after all, and STR are effectively breaking it by putting Vettel in his seat. He has a good case for taking the team to court, therefore, and could even add charges of assault, thanks to the incident at the European GP. That could amount to quite a bit of money in damages claims and that thought cannot have been far from the minds of the STR bosses over the last few days.
Yes, there may indeed have been monetary obstacles to the team letting Vettel drive at the Mugello test...