BRENDON HARTLEY TO RACE FOR TORO ROSSO AT US GP
Gasly, who joined the team’s line up in Japan, will miss the Austin race to compete in the final round of the Super Formula. The Frenchman is currently just half a point behind championship leader Hiroaki Ishiura with two races remaining.
Having tested with the team in 2010, WEC champion Hartley will step in for the race. He will race alongside Daniil Kvyat, who rejoins Toro Rosso after Carlos Sainz switched to Renault, making it an entirely different line up to the one the team fielded in Japan.
“This opportunity came as somewhat of a surprise, but I never did give up on my ambition and childhood dream to reach F1,” he said.
“I have grown and learnt so much since the days when I was the Red Bull and Toro Rosso reserve driver, and the tough years I went through made me stronger and even more determined.
I want to say a huge thanks to Red Bull for making this a reality, and to Porsche for allowing me to do this alongside the World Endurance Championship. COTA is a track I really enjoy and one I have raced at recently. I’m trying not to put too many expectations on my F1 debut, but I feel ready for it.”
In the early stages of his career, Hartley claimed the Formula Renault 2.0 title and finished third in the 2007 British Formula 3 championship.
He joined the F1 world in 2008 as a test driver for Toro Rosso, becoming a reserve driver for the Italian squad and sister team Red Bull in 2009. In 2012, he moved to Mercedes as a test driver, before turning his attention to sports cars.
Hartley, as part of the Porsche #17 squad, took the WEC title in 2015, finishing second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He and #2 car team-mates Timo Bernhard and Earl Bamber are currently top of the 2017 drivers’ championship.
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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