Sacked Hartley: I’ve been better and didn’t enjoy politics of F1
Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley has opened up for the first time about his exit from Formula One.
Hartley was sacked by Toro Rosso last week when the team announced Alexander Albon, who finished third in Formula Two this year, would be the new driver to team with Daniil Kvyat for the 2019 season.
With Hartley’s 2018 teammate Pierre Gasly promoted to the Red Bull Formula One team there seemed a chance the Le Mans winner and World Endurance champion would race for a second full season.
But after finishing the season 19th in the drivers’ championship, out of 20 drivers, with just four points and a ninth-placed finish at the US Grand Prix his best of the season, the 29-year-old’s departure wasn’t a huge surprise.
“I’m in a pretty good place. I’ve definitely been better,” Hartley told the Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB yesterday.
He told Hosking he’s in the process of working out a new drive for 2019 but it won’t be in Formula One.
“Still trying to figure that out. I’ve maintained a relationship with Porsche through all of this, I was with them for four years through the two world championships and Le Mans. My phone has been glued to my ear over the last week, a lot of emails. Not the perfect time of year to be sorting out a drive, coming into December but I’ve got a good reputation and just trying to figure out what the right steps are and also what’s going to keep me happy.
“You will definitely see me doing something next year but it won’t be Formula One.
“I would never say it’s closed. Ten years ago when that door was effectively shut, I’ve proven that it’s possible to open it again. I’m now in a position where I have a Super licence, I have hands-on Formula One experience, I definitely didn’t disgrace myself and I definitely wouldn’t say that door is closed.”
Toro Rosso’s handling of Hartley’s departure seems on par with the team’s performance in Formula One this season. No mention has been made of the Kiwi’s exit on the official Toro Rosso website with his profile quickly removed.
Hartley wasn’t keen to open up of the reported dramas behind the scenes at Toro Rosso.
“I would love to tell the story one day,” he told Hosking. “The politics I don’t enjoy. It took me some time to get used to the extra media attention. I was definitely prepared coming into Formula One being involved in Porsche and LMP2 but I think the pressure definitely ramped up more than I expected in terms of being under the microscope a lot more but I got more and more comfortable with that during the season.”
Hartley said he felt he’d done enough to continue his role at Toro Rosso.
“There were rumours very early in the season which was a big surprise
to me when I thought I’d signed a longterm contract. Came off the back of a world championship, a Le Mans win and after just two or three races there were rumours and a lot of questions being asked around my immediate future.
“I’m happy with how I handled that. I feel under the circumstances other people could have potentially cracked and I actually came out much stronger because of it. I fought, I evolved through the season. There were articles in the press saying ‘he needs to improve and beat his teammate’ and actually and the end of the season I really felt on top of my game, built great relationships with Honda, all the staff at Toro Rosso and I was consistently out-performing my teammate. I’m really proud of how I handled the situation and how I improved during the season.
“Formula One is very complicated, there’s a lot of money involved, politics and some of the reasons why drivers stay or leave isn’t always in your control or of reasons for pure performance. In any case I left the paddock with my head held high. I knew I’d given it my best shot this year. I knew that I’d stepped up to the plate.”