BMW Sauber protégé
Sebastian Vettel could become a permanent fixture on the
Formula One grid as early as next weekend if plans to slot him into the
Scuderia Toro Rosso line-up come to fruition.
The early retirement of both
Scott Speed and Tonio Liuzzi at the Nurburgring appears to have been the last straw for STR bosses Franz Tost and Gerhard Berger, with some reports suggesting that the former came to blows with Speed after the race. The American then claimed on
speedtv.com that the squad were making it clear that neither he or his team-mate were wanted in the line-up.
While it is not expected that both drivers will be replaced before the end of the season, Vettel is being widely tipped to replace Speed before the summer is out, with talks apparently underway to get the German in alongside Liuzzi for next weekend's Hungarian race. Vettel already has plenty of testing experience with BMW Sauber and made his race debut as a stand-in for the injured
Robert Kubica at Indianapolis, scoring a point.
Despite rumours that he is being lined up to be a part of its 2008 pairing, BMW is apparently willing to release the German to
STR, which is backed by his personal sponsor,
Red Bull. Any decision hinges on timing, however, with Berger telling Germany's
Auto Motor und Sport that he would be reluctant to run the teenager without any testing. STR could run at Mugello before the Hungaroring round, but a decision would have to be taken immediately for Vettel to benefit from seat time, as there is no testing allowed during the summer break between Hungary and Turkey.
"Vettel is a meaningful alternative for us, but he needs a test before he races," the Austrian veteran confirmed, "It would make no sense to throw him in at the deep end."
