23/07/2007
NEWS STORY
According to reports, all is not well at Toro Rosso, with talk of an "assault" on Scott Speed and the American driver complaining of a 'witch hunt' with regards he and his teammate, Tonio Liuzzi.
Whilst the European GP was still in progress, the Italian team, which had seen both its drivers spin off during the deluge that caught several other drivers by surprise - including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - which simply read: "nothing to say today".
However, behind the scenes there is talk of a major falling out and even an "assault" on Speed.
According to the SpeedTV website (no relation to Scott), on returning to the garage after his retirement, the American explained what has happened to team boss Franz Tost. The driver is then alleged to have walked away, at which point Tost is said to have "made a grab for him". According to SpeedTV, one witness described the move as an "assault".
The Italian team has made no secret of its courtship of a number of drivers for next year, with Gerhard Berger confirming at the weekend that he has an option on the services of three-time ChampCar champion Sebastien Bourdais. This has clearly led to internal strife for the Faenza outfit.
Talking to SpeedTV on Saturday - before the latest incident - Speed said: "Gerhard and Franz have their own ideas about what they want to do with their future, and they say things accordingly.
"That's nothing to do with my performance on the track, that's for sure," he continued. "It's clear that from my bosses me and Tonio both have very little support. It's been that way for the last two years, and it's a lot more now. At some point I said I don't care, if I'm not in F1 next year, if I'm with a different team, it's OK for me. It's actually made me lot more relaxed and a lot more calm, and I think I'm producing better results, actually.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read the press and know that Franz and Gerhard are pushing like hell to get rid of me and Tonio," he added
Meanwhile, it is believed that Liuzzi's spin was due to a technical failure on the car.