Hartley returning briefly to endurance championship

WELLINGTON: New Zealand driver Brendon Hartley has lined up another gig for 2019, returning to the World Endurance Championship.

Earlier this week, the former Formula One driver confirmed he had joined Ferrari as one of its simulator drivers for the season.

Hartley will replace Jenson Button for the next two rounds of the current World Endurance Championship at the Russian SMP Racing team.

Hartley will race at the Sebring and SpaFrancorchamps WEC rounds.

Sebring, in the United States, is on March 17 and Spa, in Belgium, is on May 4.

Hartley will drive alongside Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.

Hartley is the second recently axed F1 driver to join the SMP Racing ranks, following Sergey Sirotkin’s switch which was confirmed earlier this week.

‘‘I have known Brendon for quite a long time, we get along well and he is an excellent driver who will certainly benefit our team,’’ Sirotkin said.

Hartley (29) won the 2015 and 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship with Porsche.