Toro Rosso slam door on Kvyat return

MEXICO CITY: Toro Rosso will continue with rookies Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly for the rest of the Formula One season after deciding there is no way back for Russian driver Daniil Kvyat.

Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, a key figure at the two teams owned by the Austrian energy drink company, told Germany’s Auto Bild the decision had been taken.

“Kvyat will not return again. We do not believe he can make the turnaround in the long term,” said the Austrian ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

“Gasly and Hartley are finishing t he season. Then we’ll see what happens.”

Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso, who are switching to Honda engines next year, have yet to confirm their 2018 line-up but have limited options from within their own stable.

The team act as a feeder for Red Bull Racing and have served as a springboard for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and race winners Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

At 27-years-old, and with a Le Mans 24 Hours title and world endurance championship under his belt, New Zealander Hartley hardly fits the mould of a young driver but he has seized his chance.

Dropped by Red Bull after testing with Toro Rosso as a teenager in 2009, the Kiwi returned to the fold and made a strong debut in Texas last weekend alongside Kvyat, 23.

Gasly, last year’s GP2 champion, made his debut in Malaysia this month but missed the US Grand Prix to try and win the Japanese Super Formula series that he had previously been competing in.

He returns for Mexico, with Hartley retained.