Hartley has gentle dig at Toro Rosso

Sacked Kiwi F1 driver Brendon Hartley has thanked ‘‘almost all’’ of the Toro Rosso team for giving him his first chance at the elite level of motorsport.

In what was a thinly veiled swipe at the management who cut short his two-year deal after just one season, the 29-year-old stopped short of thanking all of the team in a Twitter post yesterday.

‘‘I left the circuit on Sunday with my head held high,’’ Hartley wrote.

‘‘I’m very proud of my story and journey so far but I am left feeling I have unfinished business in F1. For the moment that has been put on hold. I’ve hit speeds bumps before and I am a strong believer though that situations make you stronger. It also helps that I have a great NZ support crew, family, friends and wife.

‘‘I also want to thank my trainer Rich and almost all of the 500 strong Toro Rosso staff who I have enjoyed working with this season, all of the engineering team, the mechanics, marketing, PR, logistics, hospitality crew, factory staff and of course at Honda Racing.’’

It came one day after Toro Rosso confirmed he would be replaced next season by British-born Thai driver Alexander Albon.

Hartley also said it was just another ‘‘speed bump’’ in his career and that he had ‘‘unfinished business in F1’’.

Hartley endured an up and down time with the team and finished the F1 season by coming 12th in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following an early crash.

He had a year to run on his contract, but has still lost his seat. He scored four points in the F1 drivers’ championship to finish 19th of the 20 drivers.

The teams have all-but confirmed their driver lineups for 2019, with just one spot still available at Force India. However, Canadian Lance Stroll is expected to pick that up, meaning Hartley’s immediate driving future is slightly uncertain.

‘‘I am left feeling I have unfinished business in F1. For the moment that has been put on hold.’’ Brendon Hartley