AIMING HIGH
Hartley chases irst F1 point
Engine reliability and handling the wet will be key for Brendon Hartley as he tackles his third Formula One crack at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo on Monday (NZ time).
Hartley, fresh off locking up the World Endurance Championship title with Porsche on Sunday, has yet to drive in the wet in F1. But persistent rain and thunder storms are forecast at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace throughout the practice and qualifying sessions this weekend.
Though, it is expected to be fine for the main race.
An added challenge for drivers is the track, formerly known as Interlagos, is not regarded as having great drainage and hence is prone to surface water.
Hartley is no stranger to driving in the wet in his career, but much of that has been when he has a roof over his head.
Regardless of the weather, the goal for Hartley remains the same register his first F1 points by finishing in the top 10.
‘‘With the help of the team I made big progress in Mexico and I’m confident that, with a little bit more luck than last time out, we can fight for points,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m starting to feel at home in the F1 paddock and Sao Paulo is a track I enjoyed and know quite well from when I raced there back in 2014 for the final round of the FIA WEC Championship. So, all in all, I definitely look forward to my third race weekend in Formula 1 and what will be my fifth race weekend in a row.’’
His chances of a point will drastically improve if he can set a solid qualifying time.
But that will only matter if he can avoid yet another grid penalty for his team exceeding power unit changes. He is yet to experience a race without such a penalty in his first two cracks.
He was 13th in his first race after he started 19th on the grid after a penalty at the United States Grand Prix.
Hartley looked to be tracking well in qualifying in Mexico as he survived the first qualifying session only to lose power in the second session. That meant a change of power unit and another penalty, with Hartley recovering to be 11th in the race before his car went up in smoke.
Toro Rosso have yet to confirm if Hartley’s engine required a further change following that incident, which would mean another grid penalty.
Hartley’s last time at the Sao Paulo track was during the WEC in 2014 when his Porsche team was forced to retire when teammate Mark Webber was involved in a heavy crash.
Drivers race anti-clockwise around the 4.3km Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace track which features 15 corners, 42 gear changes and has drivers completing the loop at an average speed of 219kmh.
While Lewis Hamilton has already locked up the driver’s title, there will still be plenty to fight for as drivers battle for bragging rights, minor placings and 2018 drives.