Hartley opens up on Formula E dream
Brendon Hartley admits he’s ‘‘definitely interested’’ in a Formula E drive with Porsche.
The ex-Formula One driver has been testing Porsche’s Gen2 at the Calafat circuit in Spain as he buries himself into his development programme for the glamour manufacturer ahead of their entry into the Formula E scene at the 2019-20 series.
Kiwi Hartley has a strong relationship with Porsche, helping them win two world endurance championships before he moved to Formula One.
His former LMP1 team-mate Neel Jani has one of the two Porsche Formula E drives but the second driver is still to be named.
Hartley has impressed in his two tests of the new car and when asked by Autosport if his involvement in Porsche’s development programme meant he was set to gain a race seat, Hartley replied: ‘‘It’s not really for me to answer.
‘‘Honestly, all I’m focused on at the moment is doing my job here at the racetrack, back on the simulator, giving good feedback, trying to get the most out of the car, trying to help get the most out of the systems and the development going forward.
‘‘Ultimately it won’t be my decision, but I’m definitely interested to be involved, yes.
‘‘Formula E is interesting, I would like to be there, but no decision has been made.
‘‘It’s definitely not my decision but I’m anyway happy to be part of this development phase.
‘‘It’s always interesting to be part of a project so early in its development.’’
Hartley expressed his comfort at Porsche. Having them retain him as a contracted driver was security on the back of his Formula One axing at Toro Rosso.
And he was also able to return to endurance racing with other teams this year.
‘‘I actually felt right at home immediately back with the Porsche shirt on and a lot of familiar faces from my time at Porsche and LMP1,’’ Hartley told Autosport.
‘‘There’s been a lot of crossover from personnel, including myself and Neel, to this development phase, which is definitely helpful.
‘‘Although Porsche is starting from zero in Formula E, there is obviously some experience behind from our time in LMP1 together.’’
Hartley tested Porsche’s original Formula E car in 2017 and had a long-term eye on a drive then before he was snapped up by Toro Rosso to enter motorsport’s biggest arena.
He said he had enjoyed his shortlived F1 experience.
‘‘Formula One was the right decision for me and I have absolutely no regrets of how that played out over the last year.
‘‘And I’m proud of what I did there and the experience I gained is really valuable.’’
‘‘Ultimately it won’t be my decision, but I’m definitely interested to be involved, yes. Formula E is interesting, I would like to be there, but no decision has been made.’’