Hartley parts way with Porsche but

New Zealand motorsport star Brendon Hartley will split from glamour manufacturer Porsche as he gets set to make his debut in Formula E.

The breakup comes via mutual agreement and ends a sixyear relationship where Hartley won two world endurance championships and the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race during his time as a factory driver with German outfit Porsche.

With Porsche set to be involved in the 2019-20 Formula E season that starts in Saudi Arabia this weekend and Hartley getting a deal with rival team GEOX

Dragon of the United States, the split appeared inevitable. Hartley said there was ‘‘no animosity’’.

‘‘I’d like to think I’ll always be somewhat a part of the [Porsche] family but contractually I won’t be involved next year,’’ Hartley confirmed to Austosport.com.

‘‘There’s no animosity from my side – they were incredibly fair to actually allow me to go and take on an opportunity in another race team. So I have to thank them for that and now I am really looking forward to this new project with Dragon.

‘‘[Porsche is] going to be competitive now but I’m sure it’ll be somewhat of a friendly rivalry and I’m sure I’m still welcome to go down and have a coffee and say g’day.’’

Hartley was involved in the testing of Porsche’s new Formula E car and would have liked to have been one of their two drivers but understood their preference for an experienced head behind the wheel to partner Neel Jani.

Porsche have been hugely accommodating to the 30-year-old Kiwi, allowing him to pursue his Formula 1 dream that saw him race for just over a season at the sport’s pinnacle with Scuderia Toro Rosso in late 2017 and 2018.

Hartley has still had some F1 involvement this year, working as a simulator driver with Ferrari. But he has his hands full with real racing too – his For