Starting from back of grid

Several years after thinking his Formula One career was over before it started, Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley finds himself back where he always dreamed he’d be: in the driver’s seat and ready to race.

Hartley will make his F1 debut this weekend at the US Grand Prix after a surprise call from Toro Rosso and a quick trip to Texas to meet the team — and then the press contingent.

The Red Bull racing programme had long known about Hartley and had signed him into their vaunted junior driver programme as a shaggyhaired teenager in 2006. He won the Formula Renault championship, became a reserve driver and had his first F1 test by 18. But he couldn’t keep that going and by 2010 was dropped.

“I guess I just didn’t deal with the pressure. I stopped enjoying it. I wasn’t happy,” Hartley said. “When the Formula One dream stopped in 2010, I picked myself up, I found endurance racing.”

He’s been successful there as a World Endurance Championship winner in 2015 and a winner this year at Le Mans 24 hours. But when his Porsche team said it wasn’t going to race in the series any more, Hartley, 27, picked up the phone.

“I called [ Red Bull racing consultant] Helmut Marko and I said, ‘ Look, I’m a different driver than I was 10 years ago, I’ve learned a lot, and if there i s ever an opportunity, I’m Brendon Hartley will start his debut Formula One race from the back of the grid after his Toro Rosso team was hit with a penalty.

The team opted to change his car's power unit ahead of the US Grand Prix, earning the automatic grid penalty.

Hartley will still take part in the three practice sessions starting at 4am tomorrow but won't have the pressure of having to try and qualify the car further up the grid.

Team boss Franz Tost confirmed the team had made the call to make the power unit change ready’,” Hartley said. “He didn’t say much, he just said he got the message and three months later he made the call. I wasn’t ready at 18 years old. I like to think I’m ready now.”

Hartley counts Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo among his best friends in racing and said he’s been asking him for advice. Aussie Ricciardo is glad to see his friend back on the track.

“He’s been there and nearly fallen to the bottom, like racing old historic cars, just racing to race and race because he loved it,” Ricciardo said. “He could have easily gone home to New Zealand after he got dropped, and just said, ‘ It’s done, I tried, it didn’t work,’ even before Hartley had been signed for the one- off start.

He will most likely receive a 30- place grid penalty although the exact punishment has not yet been confirmed.

Toro Rosso has decided to make the same call with their other car — driven by Daniil Kvyat — at next week's Mexican Grand Prix.

There is a chance Red Bull could opt to change the power unit in Max Verstappen's car as well, which would incur the same penalty for Monday's race. but he’s just ground away.”

Now- retired, his former Porsche teammate Webber is in Austin as a television pundit while Ricciardo will be chasing a podium place for Red Bull.

Hartley would seem to expect little in the way of results this weekend, but a good drive could actually complicate his future if it opens the door for more F1 possibilities.

Hartley has been looking at a fulltime seat in IndyCar with speculation he’d join Chip Ganassi Racing.

“I was looking at IndyCar and I still am. Nothing confirmed for next season yet,” he said.

Hartley i s expecting some similarities with the Porsche 919 Hybrid he has driven over the past few years with the factory Porsche sports car team but knows the jump in speed will be the biggest change.

“I’ve been thrown in the deep end but I will do my best,” Hartley told Radio Sport’s D’Arcy Waldegrave.

It is all about me, which is a big difference. I have become very accustomed to sharing the car and having that experience with my teammates.

“I’m trying to tell myself it is just another race and it should be similar but it is a step.”

One thing he should be comfortable with i s the track. Hartley has raced at the Circuit of the Americas several times and visited recently for a round of the World Endurance Championship, where he won the race.

“I was here 3 ½ - weeks ago,” Hartley explained. “It is a track I’ve always liked. I raced here for the first time in 2013.

“It i s a new- style Formula One track with a lot of run- off but it has a lot of character.

There are quite a few tricky little technical sections and it is one that should suit me.”

First practice began at 4am today ( NZ time) with a second hour and a half long practice session starting at 10am- 11am.

Qualifying is tomorrow and the race starts at 8am Monday ( NZ time).