‘Bring it:’ Hartley grabs F1 hotseat
Brendon Hartley’s Formula One dream will continue in 2018 after Toro Rosso confirmed the Kiwi as one of their fulltime drivers for next season.
The move had been rumoured for weeks, after Hartley made his debut at the US Grand Prix in October, then also drove for the Red Bull-owned team at the Mexican and Brazilian grands prix.
Hartley, a Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar winner with Porsche and double world endurance champion, showed enough to start his first full F1 season in 2018 alongside French driver Pierre Gasly, who made his debut in October.
‘‘It’s very satisfying to have converted an opportunity that came as a surprise into a 2018 F1 drive, I couldn’t be happier,’’ said Hartley, who tested with the team as a teenager.
‘‘I’d like to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for believing in me and giving me this second chance dreams can come true.
‘‘I’m now going to carry on working harder than ever in order to finish this busy end of season on a high and start the new year as strong as possible ... bring it.’’
Hartley got his big break when Toro Rosso were casting around for a stand-in at the US Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz had left for Renault and Gasly, the Spaniard’s replacement, had other commitments in Japan where he was competing for the Super Formula title.
So Toro Rosso needed to find another driver, having already recalled Russian Daniil Kvyat. Hartley impressed and was confirmed alongside Gasly to the end of the season, with Kvyat leaving.
Hartley has finished only one of his three races - 13th in his debut at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas after qualifying 18th and starting 19th - as engine and oil issues cut his races in Mexico City and Sao Paulo short.
The 28-year-old qualified 13th in Mexico and started from the 17th position before his race ended after 30 of 71 laps. In Brazil, he qualified 15th and started from 18th, moving up to 12th, before car problems stopped him after 40 of 71 laps.
But team principal Franz Tost said both rookies had shown they had what it takes.
‘‘We have been truly impressed by their steep learning curves. As we know, F1 is something that not all drivers can adapt to this fast,’’ said the Austrian.
Renault are just four points behind Toro Rosso and two clear of Haas with the difference between sixth and eighth places measured in millions of dollars when it comes to revenue payments.