Speed graduation calls time on Red Bull search.

The Red Bull Driver Search has been called off following the confirmation that Scott Speed will play an active role in next year's Formula One world championship.

Set up to find and groom a young American for F1 stardom, the search ran for just four short years before Red Bull's increased participation in the top flight made it possible for Speed to land a race seat. Although he tested with the official Red Bull Racing team this season - in both Montreal and Indianapolis - it took the secondary purchase of Minardi - to be renamed Squadra Toro Rosso in 2006 - for a seat to open up for the American, who otherwise looked set to fulfil test duties with RBR alongside either Vitantonio Liuzzi or Christian Klien. He is now likely to partner the Italian at the Italian-based team, although the two Red Bull teams have yet to officially nominate their line-ups.

"The two will remain as totally separate entities," insisted RBR team principal Christian Horner, "Minardi - or Squadra Toro Rosso - will continue to operate from Italy, and both teams have different objectives.

"Red Bull Racing's objectives are totally clear, going forward, to move further up the field, whereas the second team is very much the final step on the Red Bull ladder for the young driver programme and the perfect shop window for those young drivers."

Speed was one of the original quartet 'discovered' by the Danny Sullivan-administered Red Bull Search in 2002, chosen from an 'elite' class of 13 drivers alongside Paul Edwards, Grant Maiman and Joel Nelson, who all earned a drive in Europe for the following season. Further names were added to the programme, often at the expense of under-achievers, over the following three years, but only Speed, Colin Fleming and youngster John Edwards will remain under the drinks brand's wing in 2006. With its primary goal complete, the programme will not continue in its current format, with no formal or organised talent hunt in 2006, although Red Bull has said that it will continue to monitor promising US talent.

Speed moved up to the new GP2 Series in 2005, setting the pace in pre-season testing and earning himself the #1 plate before round one. Despite taking pole positions and fastest laps, however, a race win eluded him through the regular season, but he held on to take third place in the overall standings - by just half a point.

Fleming, meanwhile, took on the equally new World Series by Renault, earning some solid results without setting the championship alight. He is likely to stay put for 2006, while Edwards will continue to hone his skills in the Italian Kart Championship and European Formula Renault.