“The car is definitely the most powerful car I’ve ever driven,” said Speed, 22. “This test all went smoothly with no dramas.”
Speed was the fastest among four drivers testing March 23-24 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Speed and Switzerland’s Neel Jani tested a 2004-spec Jaguar Racing F1 car with Red Bull Racing, as Red Bull bought the Jaguar team after last season. Williams-BMW race driver Nick Heidfeld and Williams-BMW test driver Antonio Pizzonia tested 2005 cars, which have less downforce than last year’s cars.
California native Speed led with a lap of 1 minute, 16.122 seconds. Heidfeld was second at 1:16.674, with Pizzonia third at 1:17.160 and Jani fourth at 1:18.037.
It is difficult to compare lap times due to the disparity in cars. Plus each driver was on a different test program. Still, Speed’s performance was impressive given that it was his first time in a F1 car and his first time at the Barcelona circuit.
“My first impression was ‘Wow!’" Speed said. “The braking power particularly impressed me. I really enjoyed myself and it was very productive, as the 68 laps I completed have qualified me for a super license, and I’ve now learned a track that I will be racing on later in the year.
“I found all the data analysis side fascinating and felt fine at the end of the test, having trained real hard for this.”
Now that he has earned a super license, Speed will be permitted to race in Formula One should the opportunity arise.
Speed and Jani are members of the Red Bull Junior driver program. In 2004, Speed won the Eurocup and German Formula Renault titles and became the first American driver to win a junior formula championship in Europe.
Now in its fourth year, the Red Bull Driver Search aims to discover and support talented young racing drivers. The long-term goal is to have a steady group of three to six American drivers, racing on the Red Bull Junior Team in Europe, groomed to break into Formula One and compete for the World Championship.
In 2005, Speed and Jani will compete in the new GP2 category. The series replaces Formula 3000 as the final stepping-stone to F1. The first round of the GP2 series will take place in conjunction with the San Marino Grand Prix weekend of April 22-24.
The Barcelona test provided a good opportunity to give Speed and Jani a chance to drive an F1 car and assist the Red Bull team in its 2005 development program.
Speed completed 68 laps over two days. On the second day of the test he set the quickest lap time.
“The technical program centered on engine work, for future development of the Cosworth V10, and did not require our regular race drivers,” Red Bull Racing Sporting Director Christian Horner said. “Therefore, this seemed like the ideal opportunity to introduce Neel and Scott to Formula One, as part of the Red Bull Junior program.
“Both drivers did a good job, making no mistakes. Given that Scott had never driven a Formula One car before, he put in a solid drive getting used to all the extra horsepower. Neel also had to contend with a damp track on the final morning, before running in the dry in the afternoon, and he provided valuable feedback to our engineers.”
Red Bull’s regular drivers, David Coulthard and Christian Klien, have scored points in the opening two rounds of the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship season and will compete in the United States Grand Prix on June 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
