With the backing of Red Bull, Californian Scott Speed moves up to Formula One in 2006 with the new Squadra Toro Rosso outfit. Speed began karting in 1993 and would take multiple titles over the next eight years. His first season in single seaters came in 2001 moving up to Barber Dodge the following year and them the Formula Mazda championship on 2002.

Speed's big break came in 2003 as he was picked up by the Red Bull Driver Search programme and he would go on to compete in the British f3 and Formula Renault German championship. Speed tested for Eddie Cheever's IRL IndyCar team in 2004 before joining the new GP2 series in 2005 with iSport International.

Speed finished the season in third position behind Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen and also got his first taste of F1 as he ran the third Red Bull Cosworth in the Friday practice sessions in Montreal and Indianapolis.

Speed's rise to Formula One has been a meteoric one and the American will face a very steep learning curve in 2006.