By Andrew Cutler
July 31 2007

Scuderia Toro Rosso has announced today that they have officially released Scott Speed and replaced him with Sebastian Vettel. The move, which had been rumored for the past week, has finally recieved the blessing of Vettel's former team BMW, thus making it possible.

"As our test and reserve driver Sebastian has carried out sterling work for us," said BMW team boss Mario Theissen in a statement. However the current testing rules mean that he barely gets a chance to drive for us. Now he has been offered the opportunity to get inside a Toro Rosso cockpit. We have sponsored and coached Sebastian over a number of years. To place obstacles in his career path now would go against our concept of talent promotion,".

Vettel has one Grand Prix start to his credit. Filling in for the injured Robert Kubica, Sebastian scored one point at this years USGP, making him the youngest driver in F1 history to do so.

Speed, who had been precieved to be out of favor with STR co-owner Gerhard Berger all along, had a 'final' falling out with the team after crashing out in the opening laps of the European GP. According to some sources, a discussion of the incident afterwards with team principle Franz Tost turned into a physical confrontation where Tost alledgedly grabbed Speed by his racing suit and shoved him about.